Heikki Kovalainen

Reemz27 · Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 2:39 am Post subject:

Felipe is struggling with KERS more than Kimi! Cool

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Reemz27 · Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 9:27 am Post subject:

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No more teams will pull out of F1, predicts Massa

Honda will be the only team to pull out of the Formula One world championship next season, Ferrari's Felipe Massa said.

Honda, citing the global financial crisis, said last week it was quitting the sport and time is running out to find a buyer for next year.

Media have speculated that other teams could also cease to operate but Brazilian Massa, runner-up to McLaren's Lewis Hamilton in the world championship this year, believes it is unlikely.

"I don't think so, at least not next season. The economic crisis is very serious but the situation can only improve," he told Friday's Gazzetta dello Sport.

"In any case, I hope someone can buy Honda, maybe even a Brazilian firm. It would be very interesting to see a Brazilian team with Brazilian drivers in F1."

Massa was sorry for Honda's Brazilian driver Rubens Barrichello.

"It's been a surprise also for him. If the situation stays like this there will be only (Renault's) Nelson Piquet and me as Brazilians in F1. It's really sad," he said.

"Honda's pullout is a really horrible thing for F1. It's better to have lots of competition."

Massa has been testing in Jerez, Spain for the past few days as Ferrari prepare for new design rules in 2009.

"Definitely the car is different to drive. I think we will all have to change our style of driving," he said.

(Writing by Mark Meadows, editing by Rex Gowar)
http://ca.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idCATRE4BB2F920081212?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

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Reemz27

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Ferrari has admitted it is behind schedule with its Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) programme and may not have it ready for the start of next season.

The energy recovery devices, which store spent energy and re-use it to generate power, are allowed but not required under the 2009 regulations.

However, with the systems expected to confer some benefit in racing situations through an effective ‘push-to-pass’ function, most teams are aiming to use it sooner rather than later.

BMW Sauber is one of the teams believed to have a head start with the technology and devoted part of its testing programme at Jerez this week to trying out different strategies for how to exploit it.

At Ferrari’s Christmas party in Maranello, the team’s technical chiefs said they are still aiming to run the F2009 with KERS fitted at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix – but are also preparing contingency plans with a conventional car.

“We’re working a lot on the energy recovery system,” technical director Aldo Costa, engine director Gilles Simon and chief designer Nikolas Tombazis were quoted as saying by Ferrari’s website.

“We’re a bit behind on our schedule, but our goal is to be ready with a working KERS for the first race in Australia.

“Meanwhile we are also appraising the car without KERS.”

The team also said its KERS development had swallowed up far more of its budget than it had anticipated.

“It’s a great challenge,” said the technicians.

“As far as the engine and electronics are concerned costs went down, but with the KERS we spent much more than we had planned.”
http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?id=44806

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Reemz27

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Michael Schumacher believes Formula 1 will become stronger as a result of the current round of regulation changes and cost cuts.

The FIA and the F1 teams agreed to take drastic action last week to head off a crisis in the sport, as the worldwide financial downturn started to squeeze the teams' finances and led to Honda's shock departure.

In addition to the rules changes already planned – including the return of slicks and the revised wings to aid overtaking – testing will be slashed next year and aerodynamic and engine developments have been further restricted.

This had led to fears that F1 will become less challenging, but Schumacher thinks the championship's new era will be both more competitive and cost-effective.

"The direction of the new decisions is absolutely right in my view and has even the potential for a better show to come," said Schumacher in an interview for his personal website.

"To increase the mechanical grip for example is perfect.

"Formula 1 will still remain the pinnacle of motorsports.

"It will change a bit, but life is about changes."

He added that he was pleased that action was taken so quickly.

"It is clear that something has to happen in the light of the current situation worldwide," said Schumacher.

"I am happy with the fact that the FIA together with the teams have taken the first steps.

"We have to carefully evaluate what to do now, and this is what happens at the moment."
http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=44792

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Reemz27

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Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has launched a withering attack on Ferrari president and Formula One Teams’ Association (FOTA) chairman Luca di Montezemolo after the Italian criticised the way Ecclestone runs the sport.

Earlier this week di Montezemolo said FOTA wants to know more about the distribution of F1's revenues, in order to review the current 50-50 split between the teams and the sport's main shareholders CVC Capital Partners.

He also complained that F1 was not run in a "normal" manner and said the powers-that-be could no longer rule the sport by "divide and conquer" tactics.

The spat comes in the wake of cost-cutting agreements between FOTA and the FIA and foreshadows FOTA’s attempts to step up pressure on Ecclestone to give the teams a greater share of F1’s huge profits.

However, in a scathing reply to di Montezemolo, Ecclestone signalled that he is unwilling to give ground – and suggested Ferrari, in particular, has no cause for complaint about the money it receives.

He confirmed the open secret that the Maranello squad was given preferential financial arrangements as an inducement to split from the alliance of manufacturer teams that was threatening to break away from F1 several years ago – baldly stating that he "bought off" Ferrari in order to kill off the threat of a rival championship.

And in an apparent attempt to drive a wedge between the newly united teams, Ecclestone spelt out how much extra money Ferrari receives.

“The only thing [di Montezemolo] has not mentioned is the extra money Ferrari get above all the other teams and all the extra things Ferrari have had for years – the ‘general help’ they are considered to have had in Formula 1,” Ecclestone told The Times newspaper.

“They know exactly what they get, they are not that stupid – although they are not that bright, either.

“They get about $80 million [£54 million] more.

“When they win the constructors’ championship, which they did this year, they got $80 million more than if McLaren had won it.

“They were the only team that broke ranks with the other manufacturers. Why did they break ranks? That’s where the $80 million comes in.

“We ‘bought’ Ferrari. We ‘bought’ Ferrari’s loyalty.

“Our deal with Ferrari was that we ‘bought’ them so they would not go to the others.”

Ecclestone added that if the teams want to boost their income, they should look to Ferrari to distribute its extra $80 million rather than setting their sights on CVC’s cut.

“What he should do, rather than asking for money, with all the extra money Ferrari gets, he should share all that amongst the teams,” he said.

Ecclestone also dismissed di Montezemolo's strictures that the distribution of F1's revenues needs to be more transparent – pointing out that, under the terms of the Concorde Agreement, teams already have the right to examine the finances of the business.

“They have the right to send people into the company and search for everything,” Ecclestone said.

“Ferrari in particular, more than anybody, from day one, have had the right and they’ve never done it.

“We have bankers here and we’ve got CVC checking every single solitary thing.

“So anybody that starts saying that we’ve done anything wrong, I’ll sue the a*** off them.”

By way of a parting shot, Ecclestone suggested that di Montezemolo has less knowledge of what Ferrari is doing than his senior employees.

“It’s a shame he’s not in touch with people that seem to run the company as opposed to what he does – work as a press officer,” he said.
http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=44817

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Reemz27 · Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 1:23 pm Post subject: New race engineer for Raikkonen

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Andrea Stella takes over from Chris Dyer
Kimi Raikkonen will work with a new race engineer in 2009.

Ferrari's Team Principal Stefano Domenicali told the Italian newspaper La Stampa that Chris Dyer, the Finn's engineer this year, is moving up to a new role in charge of track engineering.

"His role has been assumed by Andrea Stella," Domenicali said.

It is believed Stella worked as a support engineer on Raikkonen's car ever since the Finnish driver joined Ferrari in 2007.

Australian Dyer also engineered for Michael Schumacher towards the end of the German's record-setting F1 career.

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International
http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/081219092916.shtml

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Reemz27

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2007 Champion did not shine in 2008
Former Ferrari racer Eddie Irvine believes the Italian team should sack Kimi Raikkonen or slash his pay if the Finn fails to perform in 2009.

"If you're the highest paid you have to be the best and he's not doing the job, simple as that," the Ulsterman, who was Michael Schumacher's team-mate between 1996 and 1999, told Virgin Media.

In his season as reigning champion Raikkonen had a lacklustre 2008, failing to win a race after April's Spanish Grand Prix and finishing 22 points behind team-mate Felipe Massa.

It is believed Massa, just one point shy of winning the 2008 drivers' championship, earns only one third of Raikkonen's Ferrari retainer. Both drivers have contracts to the end of 2010.

Irvine said of Raikkonen, 29: "If he doesn't beat Massa next year I'd be sacking him or reducing his wages massively."

"In sport if you perform you get paid and if you don't perform you're out."

© CAPSIS International
Source: GMM
http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/081230030708.shtml

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FirefighterF1Fan · Newbie Joined: 11 Dec 2008 Posts: 5 Location: USA

Omg shut up dude! What a idiot!!

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TINA

Reemz27

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Former world champions Kimi Raikkonen and Mika Hakkinen are no strangers to the pressures of Formula One racing, but the Finnish pair are preparing to sample a different motorsport challenge later this month, after agreeing to compete in this year’s arduous Arctic Lapland Rally.

For Ferrari driver Raikkonen this year’s rally will be his first and for his debut the 29 year-old will race a Fiat Abarth Grande Punto S2000, alongside co-driver Kaj Lindstrom. Hakkinen, who contested the rally in 2003, 2004 and 2006, will be at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9, together with Ilkka Kivimaki.

This year's staging of the annual event, which sees top drivers tackle freezing weather conditions as they race around Northern Finland in the heart of the Arctic Circle, will take place from January 22-24. Previous winners include former world rally champions Marcus Gronholm, Tommi Makinen and Hannu Mikkola.
http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/1/8819.html

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Reemz27

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Expected to test the F60 as scheduled
Kimi Raikkonen left Ferrari's media 'Wrooom' event at an Italian ski resort early due to a throat inflammation.

The team's Finnish race driver was also suffering from a fever on Friday, but it is believed he will be fit to test as scheduled the new F60 at Portugal's Portimao circuit next week.

However, it also emerged from the scene of the Ferrari event that the test will almost certainly be moved from the Algarve region, where several F1 teams intend to run new cars, back to Mugello in Italy.

It is said that rain is very likely to affect the opening days of the Portimao action, although weather forecasts also say the weather at Mugello could be poor.

Ferrari's Spanish test driver Marc Gene also left the event early to conduct an aerodynamic test with the F60 at Vairano, but the session was called off due to bad weather.

Raikkonen is believed to have returned to his home in Switzerland to recover from his throat ailment over the weekend.

He will test the new car over two days next week, with Felipe Massa set for a similar schedule.

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International

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Reemz27

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Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen swapped tarmac for snow at the weekend as he made his debut in the punishing Arctic Lapland Rally. Fellow Finns Mika Hakkinen and Mika Salo were among the other Formula One names taking part.

Raikkonen looked very much at home in the freezing conditions. Along with co-driver Kaj Lindstrom, he steered his Fiat Grande Punto S2000 to 13th place overall, finishing the three-day event in a total time of 2h, 7m, 48s, less than 10 minutes down on winner Juha Salo.

Hakkinen was not far behind. The former double world champion, at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, came home 19th in what was his fourth appearance in the rally. Salo was less fortunate, retiring his similar Mitsubishi with technical problems.
http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/1/8885.html

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Lady · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 6:29 am Post subject:

Kimi is The Man!!!

Kim.Shaw · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 11:41 am Post subject:

It's his 1st time to rally,so I should say he did a great job!

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Veni.Vidi.Vici.

LogicPro · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 2:41 pm Post subject:

His brother is a famous rally driver in Finland, so for sure he taught him how to drive in the ice...still he did a good job.

In an interview he had said that we would like to have a future in rally, maybe when he retires from F1. Wink

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"Ayrton Senna was an extraordinary racing driver. His skills, craft, subtlety and courage were of such magnitude that he dwarfed his generation of drivers."
Ron Dennis

Reemz27 · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 3:40 pm Post subject:

probably even late 30's Rolling Eyes

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