ZitatKimi Raikkonen answers my 10 questions Posted on May 6, 2013 by TorqueMarius
How on earth do hair care and Formula 1 come together and find common ground? Well Unilever SA and Clear Hair Care invited a group of journalists down to Killarney Racetrack to help join the follicles so to speak. Any follower of F1 will of course know that Clear signed a sponsorship deal with the Renault F1 team and in so doing, secured themselves the two drivers with the best hair in F1, in Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean – sorry Fernando!
Any trip to a circuit means the potential for track time and when the invite said to bring only a pair of socks?!? I was super excited at the prospect of what lay ahead. After presentations from the Clear brand team on their product and the strategic move to associate Clear with the high performance, result based world of F1, it was off to our lockers to slip into our race suits. We would be getting as close as most of us will probably ever get to being race car drivers, let alone an F1 driver, strapped into a Reynard single seater race car. Manufactured by Adrian Reynard in the UK, these open wheeled race cars were raced in the Barber Dodge Series in the USA, a feeder series for the US Champ Series. Juan Pablo Montoya actually won the Barber Dodge series in one of the cars we would be driving today – judging by his driving style, these cars must be VERY robust! (yes, I was never a fan of JPM)
These cars are owned by Fantastic Racing (http://www.fantasticracing.co.za) who run these ultimate driving experiences out of Killarney in Cape Town and Kyalami in Johannesburg. A very slick and professional operation, safety is CLEARly of paramount importance, with the 3.5 litre V6 engines restricted to about 60% and the first few sessions run following a driver instructor around to learn the car and the circuit.
I have spent a fair amount of time on race tracks but always in tin tops so it was a unique thrill driving a single seater - go-kart like direct steering, 6 speed sequential box, wind buffeting my helmet, being able to see the suspension and tyres respond to every bump and steering input – its a very raw and pure driving experience. I can only just imagine unleashing the full potential of that machine…
We all left Killarney with Clear in hand, adrenaline fuelled smiles and new respect and appreciation for just how talented F1 drivers are. But my day just got better when I was told that Kimi would answer 10 of my questions…as it turns out I had to submit a few more questions as Kimi / PR Agency deemed some unsuitable. So below the Q&A as well as those unsuitable questions.
Q & A with Kimi Raikkonen
In the China F1 post-race interview, when asked about tyres and strategy in F1, you basically said that it’s the same for everyone and it’s not going to change – but if you could change anything in the sport, what would it be? I don’t really think about things like that too much. The sport is what it is and it’s part of the game to be able to adapt to new rules and situations.
DRS zones, 2 different compound high degrading tyres in a race – would reducing the aero on F1 cars not have the same effect but produce genuine instead of artificially created racing? There have always been rules in racing – the tyres have always degraded and they’re the same for everyone. The racing’s pretty good these days and pretty real when you’re in the car.
Your favourite track and why? (doesn’t have to be a current F1 circuit) Spa for me it is the greatest racing circuit in the world. It is my favourite place. I have like the place since my first ever visit there in 2000 with Formula Renault.
Fiercest competitor you have raced against – at any level of racing? I’ve raced against many good competitors and I still am racing against pretty good competitors.
What is the worst part of your job – other than having to do interviews and answer questions like these! Well everybody knows that I don’t like doing the media too much but it’s part of the sport. I’d rather think about the best parts like the racing itself.
You have travelled the globe extensively – your favourite country to visit and why? I like lots of different countries. You don’t get to visit the country that much when you go racing, so it’s always better when you get to spend a little time there. I always love going back to Finland of course, but that’s mainly because my family and friends are there. I would say it’s more about who you go with then where you go.
Most drivers in F1 come to the sport through the same channel, establishing themselves in recognized feeder race series and then bringing financial backing with them. Your journey into the world of F1 was very different, being a relatively unknown, inexperienced race driver with raw talent who Peter Sauber spotted. Is it that inherent raw ability that separates the F1 champion from the F1 driver? I think there is a bit of luck involved with these things as well. It’s not as easy as having a clear path to F1, but you always need to be seen. I think if you are good enough, your driving can do the talking for you.
Do we currently have the best drivers on the grid or is the need for new drivers to bring money to a team keeping better drivers out of the sport? Will this ever change? I think you’ve always had a mix of drivers, some who bring money, some who don’t. You soon see if a driver is good enough to be in Formula 1 when they’re out on track.
If you could get to race against any driver from before your career in motor racing started, who would it be and why? I’m not sure – my favourite driver was James Hunt, but I like the way he approached it all.
Most athletes and top sportsman have a pre-match ritual – a sequence of doing things, often superstitious – how do you prepare on race day? I don’t really have any rituals or ‘must do’s’ – my aim is just to race the car and do the best job that I can for the weekend. When it comes to driving, I am focused and it is the whole reason I am here. I just try to block everything else out where I can.
These are the 2 questions that he didn’t comfortable answering – I guess I can understand why from a PR perspective but why don’t you pretend to be Kimi and answer these in the comments section!
Your favourite brand of vodka and how do you take it?
You get 3 min in the boxing ring – who would your opponent be? That person you would love to punch in the face?
A massive thank you to Unilever SA, Clear Hair Care and Verve Marketing for making this happen and of course, a special thank you to Kimi Raikkonen for doing the one thing he really doesn’t enjoy very much – answering media questions!
Boudica: doesn't Kimi earn a significant portion of his salary from year end bonuses (for example - points scored), or was that only the case for his 2012 contract?
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Thu May 02, 2013 5:44 pm
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