Why Will Kimi Raikkonen Stay in Rallying?
For a long time, it appeared that Kimi Raikkoken’s first season in rallying would be his only season. The former Formula 1 world champion had left the sport at the end of the 2009 season and joined the Red Bull-sponsored Citroen Junior team to race in the World Rally Championship after being dropped by Ferrari.
Despite having some success in rally car racing, most people felt that Raikkonen’s time in the sport would be brief and that he would soon return to Formula 1 racing. He had been linked to several possible rides for the 2011 season, including as a replacement for Vitali Petrov to run alongside Robert Kubica for Renault. A reported trip by a Mercedes-Benz executive to visit Raikkonen fuelled speculation that he would replace Michael Schumacher and partner with Nico Rosberg on the Mercedes team next year.
While it seemed an almost certainty that Raikkonen would leave rally car racing to return to Formula 1 in 2011 just a few weeks ago, the situation appears to have changed dramatically since then. Recently media reports have suggested that Raikkonen is happy driving in the World Rally Championships and is seriously considering rejecting all Formula 1 offers and remaining in rallying for 2011. That’s certainly the hope of Red Bull, which would like to see Raikkonen stay in rallying for the foreseeable future.
“We are very happy with what Kimi has done this season,” a Red Bull source told Autosport. “He is very good for the Red Bull brand and we are looking to extend his agreement into next year. I think this is likely.”
For his part, Raikkonen has not publicly confirmed his plans for 2011 but did say that he doesn’t miss Formula 1 racing and that he is “enjoying what I am doing now.” It’s not that difficult to imagine that the 2007 world champion could sit out other year and continue his attempt to conquer rallying. While he’s yet to finish higher than fifth in any race, his performance has been enough to convince drivers like his Citroen teammate and WRC world champion Sebastien Loeb to urge him to return to rallying.
So why would Raikkoken decide to stay in rally car racing? One reason is the reduced pressure. As evidenced by his last few seasons, the pressure to perform in Formula 1 racing is tremendous. He was replaced at Ferrari just two seasons after winning the world championship and one year after finishing third in points with two race wins.
Raikkonen was well rewarded for his time in Formula 1, earning more than $50 million per year. But that also came at the price of almost impossible expectations. Much less is expected of him in rallying. While the Citroen Junior team does expect him to improve, the team has enough strength that any podium finishes from him in the near future would be considered bonuses and not the bare minimum expectation.
The rallying schedule is also quite different than the Formula 1 campaign. There are only 13 races in the rallying season in 2010 compared to 19 in Formula 1. That might not seem like a lot but six extra weeks of not having to travel around the world for weeks of racing activity can make a big difference in a driver’s quality of life. Nine of the 13 races in the rallying season are in Europe, reducing the long flights to exotic locations.
It’s also important to remember that just because Raikkonen isn’t heading back to Formula 1 in 2011 doesn’t mean that he won’t come back at all. Mark Webber’s extension with the Red Bull Formula 1 team runs out after 2011 and recent tensions might make it difficult for the team to keep both him and teammate Sebastian Vettel. With Red Bull enjoying having Raikkonen on their rally team, it’s possible that he is essentially the driver-in-waiting for a spot on the powerful Red Bull team in 2012.
Tags: