quoteKimi Raikkonen set to get new race engineer at Ferrari F1 team By Jonathan Noble Monday, December 1st 2014, 11:50 GMT
Kimi Raikkonen is set for a change of race engineer at the Ferrari Formula 1 team next year, with former Marussia chief engineer David Greenwood likely to get the role.
Greenwood has already been recruited by Ferrari following the recent collapse of Marussia.
He made his first appearance with his new Maranello team at last week's Abu Dhabi test, although his exact role for 2015 is still being specified.
AUTOSPORT understands, however, that Greenwood is likely to replace Antonio Spagnolo as Raikkonen's race engineer. Spagnolo is set for a factory role.
Raikkonen is known to get on well with British engineers, and amid his difficult 2014 campaign, Ferrari called upon David Lloyd mid-season to try to help improve communication between the Finnish driver and his engineers.
It has already been confirmed that new Ferrari signing Sebastian Vettel will be engineered by Riccardo Adami, who previously worked with the German at Toro Rosso.
quoteWorld champion Kimi Räikkönen, The Iceman, sleeps tight no matter what!
Rumor tells that before his Australian debut in 2001, Kimi had fallen asleep on a massage table an hour before the start. When he was asked to get ready for work, all he wanted to do was to sleep for five more minutes.
Nowadays Kimi is much more particular about the kind of a bed he wants for himself. "In my opinion, a good bed improves your sleep quality; it doesn't inflict any sleep-related pain. There is a big difference between a good and a bad bed", says Räikkönen.
"A good bed is not like a couch where you can sink in. When you have slept in a good quality bed you simply know it's right. I've had a bed from Unikulma since my first season in 2001. After that I haven't even considered any other manufacturer when buying a bed."
"It's completely different to sleep in a good bed - especially when I've had all sorts of back problems. You can really tell the difference between sleeping at home and in a hotel. At home my bed is a hundred times better!"
Even though Räikkönen says he is still able to fall asleep easily when he is tired, this statement comes with a caveat.
"I'm still able to fall asleep when traveling although not as easily as when I was younger. The thing is that I like these Unikulma beds. I have these beds both in Switzerland and in Finland. When I'm away for competitions, the beds are not that good."
" I can assure you that I'm completely sold and there's no need to consider other options. One can say all sorts of things about beds but in the end only you can tell the difference between them. There is no need for further analyzes. It is easy to tell a difference between a bed which is good and a bed which is not that good."
"I like an adjustable bed with a massage function and in my opinion it's wise to invest in a good bed. There are all kinds of beds on the market but the most important thing is that you wake up well rested and without back pain. A good bed does not cause pain. It pays itself back by contributing to your well-being.
"I don't have any reason to resort to sales speeches. You know soon enough what kind of bed you own", Räikkönen says while yawning heavily. Even the thought of his own bed makes him immediately tired.
quoteF1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen had started using Unikulma’s mattresses which are made specially for him ever since he started his career. He went to one of its flagship store in Helsinki on 10th July 2014 to meet with some specialists to design a mattress for him to have good sleep during the off season.
Man: “Hello Kimi, nice to meet you”
Lady: “Hi, Katarina (spelling might be wrong)”
Man: “Very nice to see you again. Let’s see how’s the condition of your back is right now.”
Man: “Ok Kimi, please lie down on this mattress and we’ll get to see the stress points on your body recently. Beside me is Katarina, the physiotherapist. So now let’s have a look at your body’s recent condition. See whether he remembers to do some stretching after his racing or training.
Lady: “How’s your back right now?”
Kimi: “Overall feels better than before but I still do feel a bit of pain. But as compared from last year, it’s much better.
Lady: “Yes, You did a surgery on your back earlier in the year, yes?”
Kimi: “Yeah, last year’s winter.”
Lady: “You recovered really fast after that surgery. You came here 2 days after your surgery and also managed to start training normally in a short span of time.”
Kimi: “Yeah, I did the laser surgery. After that I didn’t have any problems. I think the mattress does help in my recovery.”
Man: “You actually seen various types of mattresses across the world so what’s the difference between them and the mattress you have at home? Sleeping on your own mattress feels much better, right?”
Kimi: “Of course my own mattress in my house is much better. Definitely so. Of course there’s different mattresses everywhere. But I do prefer those which are slightly firmer (harder), something like this. Anyway, the Unikulma at home absolutely matches what I want from my mattress. Sleeping on it feels very firm/steady yet feels soft too. The support is very firm. If the hotels allow me to choose which type of mattresses, I would definitely choose the firmer ones.”
Lady: “According to scientific studies, softer and firmer mattresses are not good for your back. Those that makes people feel very tired are those softer ones where it sinks down once you press on it. We need those that have support to the right places on the body. It helps to keep the back in a good position.”
Kimi: “Yeah, I actually the mattresses that I got custom made after the surgeries I had these 10 over years changes according to my height and weight, each has different feeling. It definitely helped me to recover quickly.”
Man: “The unique point of our mattresses is that we custom made them according to the customer’s body size and their wishes to fit in to their ideal sleep pattern. We want to let your back to be stretched while sleeping as it helps to ease the tiredness out of the body. Unikulma’s mattresses gives the customers a slight firmer but comfortable feeling. Although you’re a professional racer, you still have a very healthy back/spine.”
Kimi: “All these years my body has been subjected to many bruisings and also I got hurt quite a few times.”
Lady: “The graphic shows that the muscles at your shoulder blades has some hardening effects, right?”
Kimi: “Maybe it’s the neck and shoulders there. Because of that accident, I feel tight at some places.”
Lady: “It’s being reflected on the spine and chest area of your upper torso. Normally we have seen much worser conditions than what you have, so this isn’t very serious. Remember that you had a test at the end of last year, I’m not sure whether you remember your condition at that time?”
Kimi: “Yeah, I remember the whole lower part of my back was red on the graphic.”
Lady: “Yeah, I remember that time the graphic showed that your condition was very bad. At least for now it’s getting better.”
Kimi: “I find that after accidents at other places, I come here and there’s all the different sorts of problems…”
Man: “Because you always have strong vibrations while you race, for you to have a very good posture while racing is a big challenge. From a human body point of view, it’s a total catastrophe. But today’s test shows that it isn’t that bad. I must say that other than sleeping and racing, you put in a lot of effort in other things. At least from this test we can see the changes in your posture and body shape and we can also see the problems in your back from the last time round had healed. We are all very happy to see the mattress is helping you in that.”
Kimi: “I guess a lot of people thinks that there’s not much special uses in the mattresses. For example when they have some muscles or bones issues, but I have to admit, I should have changed to a new mattress earlier than I did. After I changed my mattress, I can see the difference immediately. Although not consciously thinking it’s very important, the truth is that a third of your life is spent on the bed. So to do some investment on this is definitely good for you.”
Man: *points at screen* “We need to decrease the tension of the spring at this area. Over here we need to add some extra support. So this shows the perfect adjustments and support of the mattress which is custom made for you.”
Kimi: “This is like making changes to the shock absorber in the car…”
Man: “Yes, exactly that.”
Kimi: “The changes in the shock absorber for motorcross and rally are a bit different from F1. But the essence is the same.”
Man: “At one point is to calculate the height between the body of the car and the ground. If the terrain is smooth, then the car would be a little lower. IF the terrain is filled with potholes, then the height between the car and ground would be increased.”
Lady: “I’ve heard that you are an easy sleeper, you can sleep anywhere anytime.”
Kimi: “Yeah, at one point I can really sleep well. But as I grew older it’s getting tougher to sleep. I noticed as we grow older, we can’t be like how we used to sleep when we were younger. I can say that last time, I can sleep anytime and anywhere, and it’s still a good sleep. Yeap, like that. There’s a bit of changes.”
Lady: “Actually for everyone, as you grow older your power to control will get weaker so at this point there’s a need to make sure of your surroundings while you sleep. Other than the mattress and pillows, also the darkness of the room. The body can only produce the hormones for better sleep when it’s in enough darkness.”
Kimi: “Yeah, obviously it helps a lot.”
Man: “So this frequent travelling doesn’t really affect your sleep?”
Kimi: “For me it’s not much of a problem. But when I’m in Australia, it’s always hard to be alert on the first day because of jet lag. Also there’a always some races because of the time differences, the races are at a later time, so I’m racing during the time I’ll be sleeping if I’m in Finland.”
Man: “Yeah, the best quality of sleep in a human is first 4 to 6 hours of sleep. If you’re able to race 12 hours after your best quality of sleep, then you’re able to perform at your best during the race. But if you need race during the time when you should be sleeping when you’re back in Finland, it’s possible that you can’t adjust to your best condition, unless you head out to the destination to do enough preparation to adjust to the time difference.”
Kimi: “If I go racing at a very far away place, I will always arrive earlier so I can have enough time to adjust to the time difference.”
Man: “Anyway, we all really want to see you on the podium spraying champagne.”
Kimi: “Yeah, it would be great if there’s another chance.”
Man: “Very happy to see that your overall condition is quite good. The racing is not affecting much, the balance in your muscles had been done well. We are also happy to hear that you are sleeping very well on our mattresses.”
Kimi: “Oh yes, of course. I have the custom made mattresses in Finland and Switzerland. They are really comfortable. I really enjoy the feeling.”
Man: “The same feeling.”
Kimi: “Yeah, no difference, exactly the same. I have to say, it really helps in my sleep.”
Man: “Have you used the in-built massage in the mattress?”
Kimi: “Oh yes, that’s very nice to use. Sometimes when I can’t sleep at night I’ll try it and the effects are not bad. Quite useful.”
quote Raikkonen : “Ferrari keep calm cause Vettel and I will bring back the Scuderia at the top”
It will be the air of celebration, with the giant Ferrari flag on the grandstands and the over 200 Ferrari cars roaring on the track, it must be the last day of school atmosphere, with many wealthy clients arrived to Abu Dhabi, but also the Kimi Raikkonen character for once seems different. No more black glasses and the sulky face, his costante portrait, the Finnish from the icy stare promises “more fun” in 2015 with Sebastian Vettel and melts when speaking of the child on the way. For Kimi, 35 years old, the last one was one of the worst seasons, with 106 points less than Alonso in the World Championship and never solved adaptation problems with the F14 T . ”But there have been, or there are on the way, many new parts, we have the right people to go back on top and I am sure that the next car will be much better than this,” said Raikkonen with optimism. “How much good, though, we’ll find out only in February test in Jerez.” Yesterday the performance of the Finnish closed the three days of the Ferrari World Finals Challenge, animated by close racing, with Fxx supercar program and historic Michael Schumacher, Gilles Villeneuve and Gerhard Berger F1 car put to the whip by collectors.
Raikkonen did some donuts on the F60 of 2009, in which he took the last triumph with Ferrari at Spa, joining Marc Gene and Andrea Bertolini, Davide Rigon and James Calado, the Endurance champions Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander (‘them this year have definitely won more than me “), the test driver Raffaele De Simone and Giancarlo Fisichella. To quote Alonso, for Raikkonen “the best is yet to come.” As meaning that Kimi will have to redeem ”We have learned from the mistakes and we know what to do in the future to bring the Ferrari to its rightful place,” guarantees the Finn.
The presupposition,according to Raikkonen, is the arrival of Vettel replacing Alonso, with whom however there has never been empathy. “Nothing has changed with the signing of Sebastian for Ferrari. He’s a good guy, the same old friend. The fact that he is now in the team will help create a better atmosphere. We will fight as always, but there will be more fun, and I’m sure that it will help to push the team in the right direction. The key is to stick together, all aiming at the same goal, “says the Finnish, which identifies in the new team principal Maurizio Arrivabene, absent at the Finals in Abu Dhabi like the President Sergio Marchionne, the other key figure for the revival of the team from Maranello: “The new boss is a smart person, I know him for a long time, he’ll help bringing new ideas and the right climate. His appointment was a great choice. “
And Kimi, whose contract expires at the end of 2015, is he still hungry for victories? “I enjoy running, the F1 is still the focus of my life, otherwise I would have already given up. Of course, if you do not fight for the title, the season is always negative - says the driver who gave the ultimate World Championship at Cavallino in 2007 -. This year has been difficult for me and for the team. Ferrari are always expected to fight for the World Championship, while this year we were away from Mercedes. Between me and Alonso, I have suffered the most. There are many reasons, related to technical problems in various areas, that people inside the team knows it. But we have to believe in ourselves and do our best, especially me and Vettel, to get back on top. “
Kimi and Sebastian will now for the first time be together under one roof. Champion of jokes and funny the German: the driver who wants to drive the simulator on Sundays. Bashful, indecipherable and detached Kimi, that makes you smile just for the extravagance of certain sentences and would like to destroy the simulator . The ideal testimonial sponsors (Vettel) next to the more allergic to public relations F1 driver. But both team men. Charismatic and demanding to the point that Raikkonen next year will have Dave Greenwood as race engineer, after trying with Antonio Spagnolo and David Lloyd.
Soon for Kimi things will change a lot even in private life, since in a few weeks his girlfriend Minttu Virtanen will give him the first child. ”I do not know how it will be, I can not imagine it, since I have not experienced it yet. As a young man, one does not think about it. Certainly there will be a lot more things to do at home. But it will be nice. A great moment. And if I will have problems, I will make a phone call to my friend Toni Vilander, who is already dad to give me advices”. Yeah, even the unrepentant Kimi settled down. By reckless life ala James Hunt, his idol as brave driver, playboy and ‘party animal’, to family and home life routine.
quote The First Time - with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen 05 Dec 2014
2014 has been a year of firsts for Kimi Raikkonen, and not all of them wanted - his return to Ferrari marked his first winless Formula One season since 2006, and his first without a podium since his maiden year in 2001.
As the Finn refocuses for 2015, determined to help the Scuderia become a front-running force once more, we asked him about some of the other firsts in his life - including why he never bothered with childhood heroes, how his first big crash came in one of his first F1 tests, and why he quickly established as a child that ice hockey wasn't for him...
Who was your first hero when you were a child? Kimi Raikkonen: I never had any heroes. That's not for me.
What was the first Grand Prix you can remember watching? KR: I don't know the year, but it was in the times when Keke Rosberg was driving - and then when [Mika] Hakkinen was racing. Of course you are interested when you see that some of your compatriots are racing.
How old were you when you first decided you wanted to be an F1 driver? KR: I wanted to do many things when I was a kid. And making it into Formula One - I didn't really believe it was possible until I was 17 and had won some races.
When was your first big accident in a race car? KR: It was with Sauber at a test. One of my first outings in a Formula One Car!
What colour was your first helmet? KR: White - and off the shelf.
When did you win your first trophy in racing and what did it look like? KR: No idea, but for sure it was small. And if I dug deep enough in my house I would probably find it.
What was the first road car you drove? KR: It was a Lada - the family car.
Where was the first house you lived in? KR: Of course, the family house in Espoo.
How nervous were you on your first day of school? KR: I cannot remember. But for sure I have been nervous many times - also at school.
What was the first meal you ever cooked? KR: I guess some pasta. For sure nothing complicated. (laughs)
What was the first thing you did this morning? KR: Wake up!
What was the first thing you did after getting your first F1 seat? KR: I was happy about it. I had done a test beforehand and was not sure if I had the seat - so I was just happy.
What was the first record you bought? KR: It was a Guns N' Roses cassette.
What was the first sport you participated in as a kid? KR: Very likely ice hockey. I think all boys in Finland play hockey at one point in their childhood. I stopped because I had to wake up so early in the morning for the training - that was not for me.
When was your first romantic kiss? KR: Hah! I don't know. It must have been in school. That is way over 20 years ago...
When was the first time you were asked to sign an autograph for a fan? KR: Maybe it was in Formula Renault.
When did you first taste champagne? KR: When I raced in Europe and won - whatever race.
Which would you eat first - a piece of fruit or a piece of chocolate? KR: I am not into chocolate so much so very likely fruit. Candy would be a different matter… (laughs)
What was the first word you said as a baby? KR: My parents have told me, but I don't remember. I am no good at remembering.
Kimi Räikkönen a pregnant spouse Minttu Virtanen engagement ring cost 70 000€. They have a wedding next summer. Reported on 7 Päivää magazine in Finland.
"Fernando Alonso has revealed that he would like to contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s oldest and most famous sports car race"
quoteKimi Raikkonen's championship-winning car up for sale By WMNSteveGrant | Posted: December 23, 2014
Formula One star Kimi Raikkonen’s 2000 Tatuus Formula Renault will be auctioned at no reserve by international auctioneers Coys at the Autosport International racing car show on January 10.
The Tatuus Formula Renault was manufactured in 2000 and bought by Manor Motorsport that year, who contested the British Formula Renault Championship with Raikkonen as their driver. He won seven out of ten events in the Formula Renault UK, winning the Championship in this car in 2000.
The car was then driven by Leighton Walker, who retired in 2001, and was rebuilt in 2005 by Manor Motorsport with its original engine, gearbox and monocoque.
Also featuring in the auction will be a 1967 Volkswagen Splitscreen Camper, previously belonging to blues artist Seasick Steve.
Th camper is in excellent condition. Refinements have been made to the mechanical side of the vehicle by world-renowned VW Splitscreen experts, who increased the high-speed gearing and uprated the engine to a 1598cc flat-four with twin-carbs. The interior features varnished wooden cabinets, leather seating and a fold away double bed and table.
Coys’ auction will see a number of Grand Prix, competition, touring and rally cars going under the hammer, including a 1998 ex-works British Touring Car Championship Honda. Built and ran for Honda by Pro-drive, it was driven in the BTCC by Peter Kox during the 1998 season on behalf of the works Honda Sport team. It is expected to fetch between £80,000 to £100,000.
The auction will also offer a series of cars that rarely come up for sale on the open market, including a Ford Sierra Cosworth and a 1970 Lancia Fulvia 1.6 HF Rallye Fanalone.
The Cosworth is number 479 out of 500 produced and is finished in the rarest colour of moonstone blue. The car is totally immaculate and near impossible to point fault at after undergoing a full restoration. Moonstone blue RS500's are rarely offered for sale especially in such good condition, which makes this a very rare chance to buy a quickly appreciating and unique car. It is expected to fetch between £45,000 to £55,000.
The Fanalone is the ultimate HF road version of the Fulvia. One of only 1,200 made, this example is presented in the rare colour combination of Rosso San Siro, finished with the customary black bonnet and wing tops. It boasts original Group 3 Fanalone arches, aluminium doors and front and rear hoods.
The car has been prepared to compete as an endurance rally car and has raced in many rallies including Monte Carlo, Trial to the Nile, 1000 Millas de los Pirineos and the Tour de España. It is estimated to fetch between £35,000 to £40,000.
Other entries include a 1985 Austin Mini Mayfair, with only 3,241 miles from new, offered at no reserve and a 1952 MG TD Mk II, one owner from new, estimated at £20,000 to £30,000.
quote What went wrong for Raikkonen? Laurence Edmondson December 26, 2014
It's no secret Kimi Raikkonen struggled on his return to Maranello this year. He was comprehensively beaten by Fernando Alonso in the other Ferrari and by the end of the season had less than a third of the points of his team-mate. But why did one of the stars of the last two years struggle so much in 2014?
Although he's rarely enthusiastic about going into detail, Raikkonen made clear that the Ferrari F14 T's lack of front-end grip and feel meant he did not have the tools to drive to his strengths. When he's at his best, Raikkonen likes to carry a lot of speed into a corner and maintain it through the apex, but to do so he needs to be able to feel exactly what the front tyres are up to, and he needs them to stick. The Ferrari didn't offer him that feel and left him guessing what the front end would do rather than being able to predict it.
He had a similar problem when he first joined Lotus in 2012 and went through a series of steering racks trying to get the feedback he needed from the front tyres. When the car's right he wins races, but when it's not he looks distinctly average.
"Since the go-karts, if it doesn't turn and the front doesn't bite I've never liked it," Raikkonen said earlier this season. "My driving style is more about trying to carry the speed into the corners and keep it up in the mid-corner. It's the way I'm used to doing things but obviously it changes every year and with every car. I still think it's the fastest way and when you get the car working for you as you want, the fastest maximum speed - for me at least - can be found that way."
Without the response from the front end, Raikkonen cannot make the minute adjustments that allow him to carry speed in the most efficient way through the corner. At times this year he made progress, but all too often the same problems would reoccur at the next round and he would have to second guess the way the car would respond.
"It's something that's lacking from the car and if you cannot put the car where you want and brake where you want because of locking or sliding the front then it becomes a guessing game about where you are going to be. And if you miss a little bit the corner you are going to miss a lot of speed on the next straight. It sounds like a small thing, but around one lap when you keep guessing every corner it creates quite a big deficit. A few races it has been pretty okay and then most races it has been like that where you fight every corner and then the time difference is quite big."
But it was not just the failings of the Ferrari that were holding Raikkonen back, Pirelli's tyres were also not to his liking. Ahead of pre-season testing this year, Pirelli was not able to test with 2014-spec cars and therefore had to go conservative with its tyre design to avoid any nasty surprises. There was nothing wrong with the tyres per se, but for Raikkonen they lacked the bite he needs to make his driving style work. Even his team-mate of the previous two years, Romain Grosjean, knew the 2014 tyres would not suit Raikkonen
"I know what he doesn't like and I think this year's tyres don't suit him very well," Grosjean said midway through the year. "He needs a good front end and the tyres don't give him that feeling. It's hard to explain but it just changes a little bit your confidence."
Raikkonen says his dislike of the tyres goes back as far as Pirelli's mid-season change in 2013 after its original, more aggressive construction suffered a series of blow-outs at Silverstone.
"Last year we had a pretty good front tyre at the beginning of the year and then we changed to one not so good. I wasn't too happy about it and I preferred the different tyres we had at the beginning of last year. It's a combination of many things and sometimes you have a limitation of what you can do and we got stuck in an area that was hard to get it working."
But the blame for Raikkonen's struggles cannot be targeted entirely at Ferrari and Pirelli, the driver himself has to adapt to the car. It's something his 2014 team-mate Alonso has always done remarkably well, but in Raikkonen's mind any changes to his driving style would have been a Band-Aid solution for a much bigger problem. He is still convinced his style of driving is the fastest and is determined to adapt the car to suit him.
"I don't see the point of me changing my driving style," Raikkonen said. "I couldn't drive differently any faster. The issue is not with how I drive but how we fix the issue, then we will have a good result. I can drive around some issues but I hope we can fix the main issue and drive as I always do. I've been driving in Formula One for quite a few years and have never changed it and will never change it. It's not the right way of fixing the problems."
For Raikkonen the solution is simple: Bring on 2015.
"Next year will be different because you have a new car and it's a different story. I'm sure it will be a better car, a better package, and what we have learned what we can improve for sure."
Quotes refering to an article titled "Move on Kimi Raiikonen, Bottas is the real flying Finn"
quoteKimi ”I don’t really care what the Finns think about certain people, or me, I’m not here because of them. I’m here because I want to do well. It’s good for him to have a good car underneath him. I think the whole team (Williams) has done a good job this year. It takes nothing away from me, so I’m happy for him “
Bottas ” Some poeple have spoken about that and I’ve heard some things, but I’ve not really thought about it and I don’t know if there is anything in that. I think there is still a lot of support for Kimi, because he won the title and because he is a bit different than most of the drivers, alot of poeple likes his attitude. He is so relaxed, and his lifestyle is a bit different to some of the others. Many Finns thinks he’s really cool and support him. It’s not easy to become the most supported Finn at the moment, but Kimi isn’t going to continue that many years more, so let’s see when the first wins come and maybe that will change"
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Tue Nov 25, 2014 10:56 pm
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W!!!
Mr Spangiolo
