Vähän kertausta, eli lainauksia muualta, ensin tuohon autonkehitykseen:
Ferrari’s head designer Nick Tombazis:
“Working with Kimi is easy. Kimi speaks a little but everything he says is important. The whole team appreciates Kimi’s contribution when it comes to testing. ”
Chris Dyer:
- Kimi gives a very specific description of the way the car behaves and he reacts very sharply to the changes we make to the car. You can’t ask for more.
Andrea Stella, Turun Sanomat:
– When I was Michael’s data engineer I always had to tell him exactly how he could drive faster in different corners according to the computer. With Kimi you don’t need advice like this. He finds the solutions himself.
The English F1 Racing -magazine:
They asked Whitmarsh which drivers who have driven in McLaren would have been the "dream team", which they are searching for next season.
Whitmarsh doesn't choose Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, nor Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
- We had Senna-Prost and it didn't work in the best way possible. We had Hamilton-Alonso and it didn't work either in the best way.
- Maybe the most functional dual chosen from our drivers would have been Mika Häkkinen and Kimi Räikkönen. With them it would have worked. Both of them are straight-forward drivers who only concentrate on driving, are unique personalities, but intelligent, clever and could give the essential feedback to their engineers, Whitmarsh ponders.
Ja sitten muita haukkumisia, jos vähän autonkehitystäkin:
Stirling Moss: "Quite frankly, Kimi Raikkonen is the fastest driver in the world"
Toni Vilander: "I've known Kimi since we were part of a small gang of kids going karting around Finland...One thing that has always been the same is that I don't think I have ever known him to get involved in politics or talking badly about other drivers. That's an achievement when you are on the top and you have all these people picking up on every word you say."
Jean Todt: "He is a genuine and sincere lad. I have always liked him both as a driver and in terms of the way he is out of the cockpit; always remaining the same in what is the difficult world of Formula One."
Peter Sauber: "I saw that the same quality that attracted me to Kimi - his steely determination - was also the reason why I lost him."
Sergio Rinland: "I looked in his eyes and I thought 'I've seen this look before. And I know where I saw that look before. And it gave me goosebumps when I remembered that look. It was Senna."
Willy Rampf: "During his first F1 season with Sauber he concentrated on what he was doing. Even if we lost some practise because of a technical problem he never panicked. It was clear from the very beginning that he was special...He knew exactly what he needed to make the car quick."
Michael Schumacher: "I saw him drive at Mugello. I observed him and evaluated his lap times and I could see that he can be a champion. He'll make mistakes, but then again all of us do."
Chris Dyer: "He tends not to be distracted by what else is going on and he focuses on the job we are doing. It is very much a perception from the outside that he isn't focused - we don't see that. When he's in the car, briefings, debriefings, he's always on the job and very focused."
David Robertson: "I remember reading a book about how to stop worrying and start living and I thought after I had known Kimi for a very short time that he could have written that book himself. It just comes naturally to him."
JJ Lehto: ''Being quiet is the way he handles the paddock. It's different when he's away with his friends or out on his boat. People get the wrong idea of Kimi because he doesn't say that much, but he thinks a lot, has a big heart, and is very intelligent."
Felipe Massa: ''For sure he's a very cold guy, he lives in his world. I think the good quality he has is that he never speaks about anybody. He doesn't speak good but he doesn't speak bad for anybody and this is also a good quality. Because he lives in his world where he respects people.''
Ron Dennis: "Kimi is so incredibly cool that I think that aspect of his personality surpasses even Mika. He is not fazed by anything”
Juan Pablo Montoya: "I remember that Ron loved him! He was very fast but he drove the car in a very different way from mine...Off the track we never talked too much really - he was always very quiet. We never had any controversy or anything. "
Luca Colajanni: "With the press, Kimi is who is is. He is very honest - it's hard to find a driver who admits to his mistakes as sincerely as Kimi does."
Martin Whitmarsh: "I am a great admirer of Kimi and I can't believe that he's going to retire. People have created that speculation, and knowing Kimi a little bit, he's not going to be fussed about correcting it. So it grows, doesn't it? He's a great world champion and in my opinion he'll fancy his chances of winning a few more."
Steve Robertson: "He wants to win his second world championship as much as he wanted his first. We're all aware that to win two takes you to a different level - there are a lot of world champions, but not too many double world champions, so Kimi is just as eager to win another one. He's just as motivated as ever before."
Chris Dyer: "Kimi is more relaxed than Michael, and less concerned about technical details. If we turn up with a new part, Kimi will say, "Let's throw it on and see what happen
Stefano Domenicali: "He should know that behind him and together with him there's a team that's capable of exalting his talent, which, believe me, is unique in the world."
Alex Wurz: "I always found him straight and direct - a very clean character who is often misunderstood. I think he does have a good focus. Because things aren't going so well for him, you shouldn't say he has lost focus...Kimi is still the fastest driver on the planet."
Andrea Stella: "They say he's a cold person but when he won the World Championship in 2007, at the last race, I saw him cry." Luca Colajanni: "Kimi is a very straightforward person. Of course, he isn't the best lover of communication and interaction with the media, but he knows it's part of his job and he does it with professionalism and respect"
Heikki Kulta: "All his life he hasn't cared what people think about him. One of the best things he can do is to overcome bad things very quickly. It can take just up to five to 10 minutes, then he forgets it and concentrates on the next challenge. That's unique."
Montezemolo: "Having said that, I think Raikkonen is, as far as temperament, coolness, maturity, experience - despite his years of age - are concerned, a good choice for Ferrari, who also need drivers who can defend themselves against the pressure...
