Kimi for williams 2012 ?

losthorizon

Ficus wrote: »

For whats its worth, i have been told the kimi deal is fully done, so i would expect for him to take Rubens seat for next near. As for what kimi does in 2013, nobody really knows or is saying at this moment.
I think its even a risk for williams to take him on really, yes he is a previous world champion, and by christ did he have a turn of pace, but that was only when he wanted, on his off days he was woeful, and simply gave up.
The fact that he turned to rallying shows me he really isnt bothered by f1, and lacks the 100% commitment to it, and that for me would mean i would pass him over when choosing a driver for my team.

Got the impression on the Beeb today that it wasnt done and dusted? If Williams arent a force next year it really will be interesting watching Kimi driving for a midfield (or worse) team. Hope Rubens gets a drive.

Jordan 199

losthorizon wrote: »

Hope Rubens gets a drive.

I think the only place Rubens might get a drive is with HRT or Virgin. Personally, I think he will retire at the end of this season.

Jordan 199

Ficus wrote: »

The fact that he turned to rallying shows me he really isnt bothered by f1, and lacks the 100% commitment to it, and that for me would mean i would pass him over when choosing a driver for my team.

If Kimi signs with Williams, I think it will be a tense relationship. If Kimi doesn't deliver the goods, blows hot and cold and doesn't give 100% commitment, Patrick Head will be breathing down his neck. He's one person you don't mess with.

vectra

EnterNow wrote: »

The Schumacher part. Don't get me wrong, I like Kimi...but from a team direction & development point of view, Schumacher is worth 20 Kimi's.

Ficus wrote: »

This is supposed to be a thread about kimi possibly moving to williams, not a kimi vs schumi thread, we`ve had those, and they descended into madness and silliness. So please lets ends that here.
.

Well,
I can safely say I did not introduce the Schuie Vs Kimi in this thread.
I only said It would/could be an option for 2013 for Kimi to replace him when his contract runs out.

G-Money

I've a hard time seeing Kimi being motivated at Williams. They seem to have fallen back a lot this year and are 9th in the constructors championship with 5 points. The only teams below them are Lotus, Virgin and HRT.

If they axe Rubens and give Kimi his seat, is Kimi really the guy to spend hours with the engineers giving them feedback and helping them develop the car?

Anyway we're all outsiders looking in. While I'd like to see Kimi coming back, I'm not sure he is the driver Williams need at the moment to help move them forward. However if next year's car is a big step forward, then who knows. But each of the past few years it seems that Williams have come out with quite a bit of fanfare that this year's car is better, only for them to slide even further back.

It's a shame as I think they're the one team that almost everyone likes and would want to see do well.

amacachi

With another Hamilton special today if I were in McLaren I'd be keeping an eye on Williams to distract them when Kimi arrives and sneak a different contract in front of him. :pac:

Jordan 199

G-Money wrote: »

I've a hard time seeing Kimi being motivated at Williams. They seem to have fallen back a lot this year and are 9th in the constructors championship with 5 points. The only teams below them are Lotus, Virgin and HRT.

If they axe Rubens and give Kimi his seat, is Kimi really the guy to spend hours with the engineers giving them feedback and helping them develop the car?

Anyway we're all outsiders looking in. While I'd like to see Kimi coming back, I'm not sure he is the driver Williams need at the moment to help move them forward. However if next year's car is a big step forward, then who knows. But each of the past few years it seems that Williams have come out with quite a bit of fanfare that this year's car is better, only for them to slide even further back.

It's a shame as I think they're the one team that almost everyone likes and would want to see do well.

I think Williams will improve next year, not by a huge margin but it will be a step in the right direction.

If they need an experienced driver to help improve the car, I think Heidfeld would be an excellent candidate, he is very good at the technical stuff.

You are right about almost everyone liking them and it's not nice seeing them 4th from bottom in the standings.

freestyla

Jordan 191 wrote: »

I think Williams will improve next year, not by a huge margin but it will be a step in the right direction.

I agree.. I mean they can't go more down anyway lol

I disagree with some talking about Kimi doesn't have great motivation for F1. Motivation is complex thing and I think we are so outsiders what comes to be motivated for such a professional level of sports.

Kimi said that one of the reasons for comeback is because of more overtakings with drs, kers and new tyres.
I guess Kimi meant also that engines are much more reliable and it's actually more likely to finish a race than have blown engine.

I think Kimi got very frustrated with Ferrari's unreliability in 2009 while 2 noob teams Brawn GP and RB were winning it all.

So yea I say welcome back ICE. Hopefully Williams will get some extra millions sponsorship and Kimi could replace Maldonado instead of Barrichello.

freestyla

Another buzz from some motorsport experts
Kimi made a contract (promised one?) with RedBull for 2013 but with condition that he drives somewhere 2012 just for practice and learning of new tyres, keeping himself in fit doesn't sound like Kimi style.. he can't plan things that well ahead :P

vectra

freestyla wrote: »

Another buzz from some motorsport experts
Kimi made a contract (promised one?) with RedBull for 2013 but with condition that he drives somewhere 2012 just for practice and learning of new tyres, keeping himself in fit doesn't sound like Kimi style.. he can't plan things that well ahead :P

If that were to be true then would it not be more logical to put Kimi in a STR for 2012 and ship off the RBR for 2013?

freestyla

vectra wrote: »

If that were to be true then would it not be more logical to put Kimi in a STR for 2012 and ship off the RBR for 2013?

That makes more sense what comes to STR - RBR relationship, I am just not sure about present driver's contracts.. Alguesuari is allright probably but Buemi is not so impressive anyway.. in other hand, STR is more like bouncing team for new drivers, like part of RBR young drivers development program whatever right?

This Williams/Renault thing is more likely related to their shared engines, dunno how related tho.. maybe if Renault would sponsor Kimi comeback?

amacachi

Wouldn't be the most crazy thing ever. As for not going to Torro Rosso, they're already overstaffed. :pac:

vectra

Ficus wrote: »

I heard about this too at the weekend.
Doesn't sound too off the wall to me. Kimi has a strong relationship with red bull stretching back to his sauber days, and recently with his wrc adventure.
I think its also a help to red bull if he is farmed out to another team as there will be a lot of learning for him to get on top of, and coupled with virtually no testing now, it makes sense for him to be someone elses problem. And toro rosso have been flying lately so why change that, especially with the chance that one driver change may be happening with Daniel Ricciardo next season.

Kimi to RBR
Now that would be something..
Kimi and Seb battling for fastest lap on the last lap of a race LOL
Jokes aside though... I always did wish to see Kimi in a RBR but now with the new rules will they be the best/fastest team/car ?

freestyla

vectra wrote: »

Kimi to RBR
Now that would be something..
Kimi and Seb battling for fastest lap on the last lap of a race LOL
Jokes aside though... I always did wish to see Kimi in a RBR but now with the new rules will they be the best/fastest team/car ?

I see RB as awesome, clever, modern, predictive, initiative, pro-active whatelse positive team. They got it all right approach to organization, economics, marketing, technical stuff, sporting spirit, morality... all is in perfect synchronization and balance so I don't see any reason why they would become much slower in a year or two. Unless something big unexpected happens which would shake whole team but I hope everything will be fine.

I admire them because of the awesome job they do but it's hard to be their total fan because of actual name RedBull I just hope one little change in RB, at least to see Nissan logo instead of Infinity then could cheer for them from the heart :pac:

ratedR

freestyla wrote: »

Another buzz from some motorsport experts
Kimi made a contract (promised one?) with RedBull for 2013 but with condition that he drives somewhere 2012 just for practice and learning of new tyres, keeping himself in fit doesn't sound like Kimi style.. he can't plan things that well ahead :P

That makes sense alright. I thought the whole Kimi to Williams thing was complete fiction until I heard Marty Brundle talk about it over the weekend. He doesn't usually offer an opinion on something unless there is some concrete truth behind it.

Williams are probably heading in the right direction from next year on, but they probably wont be a top 5/6 team for a few seasons yet. It's hard to see what Kimi's motivation would be to go to them. Yes the rallying is not going to plan, but if he was to come back, it could only surely be with an eye to get into a Red Bull. He's been at McLaren who couldn't give him a title, it really was down to their failings and not his, and his title at Ferarri was pretty lucky, by which time he looked like he had lost patience.

amacachi

ratedR wrote: »

That makes sense alright. I thought the whole Kimi to Williams thing was complete fiction until I heard Marty Brundle talk about it over the weekend. He doesn't usually offer an opinion on something unless there is some concrete truth behind it.

Williams are probably heading in the right direction from next year on, but they probably wont be a top 5/6 team for a few seasons yet. It's hard to see what Kimi's motivation would be to go to them. Yes the rallying is not going to plan, but if he was to come back, it could only surely be with an eye to get into a Red Bull. He's been at McLaren who couldn't give him a title, it really was down to their failings and not his, and his title at Ferarri was pretty lucky, by which time he looked like he had lost patience.

Quite frankly I'd be amazed if they're not a consistently top-5 team by the end of next year if Kimi comes in and, one would assume, they gave up on this year's car early. They've had no pace this year but I'd imagine their tumble would have something to do with giving up on this year. With all the reorganisation they've done there's bound to be major progress soon enough.

Also if they stumble across RB's secret they'll gain massively. Bear in mind that the RBs are slow in a straight line while Renault are one of the quickest. There's nothing wrong with the Renault engine yet RB don't like to turn it up often, and it can't just be down to the blown diffuser since Renault have one of the most extreme systems around. I get the feeling there's something mechanical about Red Bull's advantage. Perhaps the way the engine is mounted or stressed or something. There's some reason why they're so afraid to push the engine.

vectra

Taken from here >http://en.espnf1.com/williams/motorsport/story/63487.html

Fingers crossed.

Williams shareholder Toto Wolff has confirmed that the team is negotiating with Kimi Raikkonen over a potential return to Formula One.

Rumours have been rife for a number of weeks that Raikkonen was keen on a move back to the sport having not raced since leaving Ferrari at the end of 2009. In that time he has tried his hand at rallying and NASCAR, but Williams appears to be the most likely destination for a return in 2012.

Team chairman Adam Parr admitted in India that Raikkonen would be a good fit for the team as it looks to rebuild after a poor season, and Wolff has now said that talks are ongoing with the 2007 world champion, as well as Ferrari reserve driver Jules Bianchi.

"Yes, it's true," Wolff told Kronen Zeitung. "The Kimi Raikkonen file is on the table. The story is not for show, we are negotiating seriously, but it is only one of several options. There will be a strategic decision.

"But there is another aggressive option with the boy Jules Bianchi, and Valtteri Bottas is worthy of consideration at least for Friday's practice."

guyfo

amacachi wrote: »

Quite frankly I'd be amazed if they're not a consistently top-5 team by the end of next year if Kimi comes in and, one would assume, they gave up on this year's car early. They've had no pace this year but I'd imagine their tumble would have something to do with giving up on this year. With all the reorganisation they've done there's bound to be major progress soon enough.

Also if they stumble across RB's secret they'll gain massively. Bear in mind that the RBs are slow in a straight line while Renault are one of the quickest. There's nothing wrong with the Renault engine yet RB don't like to turn it up often, and it can't just be down to the blown diffuser since Renault have one of the most extreme systems around. I get the feeling there's something mechanical about Red Bull's advantage. Perhaps the way the engine is mounted or stressed or something. There's some reason why they're so afraid to push the engine.

I wouldnt say they will be up there next season but if kimi came in they could be a force the year after in my opinion. They have had a bad year but then they havent finished in the top 5 in the championship since 07 so its been a fairly average year for them. I wouldnt see a reason to expect them to suddenly bounce back.

I would say that rbr dont turn it up because they plain dont need to

And as for the diffuser the most extreme solution isnt necessarily the best one. Adrian Newey is a genius and his designs are pure simple elegance. I dont know how he continues to do it but the only way williams will win next year is if they poached Newey from his rbr contract and he gave them all the plans for the rb7 with him!

StephenHendry

im not sure whether kimi would have the patience to stay 3 years with williams for example for them to be back up near the front. i heard reports of him going for a seat at torro rosso with a view to taking webbers seat at red bull

vectra

Update on Kimi

Will it be Williams or Lotus

http://www.f1sa.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32000:f1--report-kimi-raikkonen-also-eyeing-williams-formula-1-team-co-ownership&catid=1:f1&Itemid=157

According to Bild newspaper, the only missing piece in Kimi Raikkonen's return to Formula One with Williams in 2012 is an official announcement.

The German newspaper said a media statement could be forthcoming from the British team this week, which was pleasing news for his friend Sebastian Vettel.

"He is a sensationally good racer and it would be great if he is coming back," said the back to back World Champion.

Frank Bullitt

This shares thing with Williams, it seems quite odd really, it also looks like it might ruin the talks if it keeps up, there was meant to be an announcement before the last GP.

His managers were in Abu Dhabi but they are based there with their shipping company.

Would love to see him in F1 again but if he is serious about it then it should be simple enough for him to agree.

rua1972

F1 is never simple when it comes to contracts. Wonder if they could introduce a transfer deadline like they have in soccer.

amacachi

Everyone involved knows if it's happening or not, it's down to how much money either party is willing to put up with.

Jordan 199

If Williams take on Kimi, they might hire him on a race-per-race basis. If Williams do that, they may pay him a basic wage per race and give him a bonus if he gets in the points, qualifies in a certain position etc.

vectra

Jordan 191 wrote: »

If Williams take on Kimi, they might hire him on a race-per-race basis. If Williams do that, they may pay him a basic wage per race and give him a bonus if he gets in the points, qualifies in a certain position etc.

You think Kimi would accept that deal considering where Williams are this season?

Jordan 199

vectra wrote: »

You think Kimi would accept that deal considering where Williams are this season?

If Kimi returns to F1 with Williams, it might be the only deal he gets. Williams would be taking a gamble on him and hiring him on a race to race basis would be a good thing to do.

vectra

Jordan 191 wrote: »

If Kimi returns to F1 with Williams, it might be the only deal he gets. Williams would be taking a gamble on him and hiring him on a race to race basis would be a good thing to do.

I think that should be the other way round,
Kimi would be taking a gamble on Williams.

vectra

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Another Kimi thread and another delusional statement. Williams already have a vastly more experienced driver and a rookie driver who has his ups and downs. Kimi hasn't driven the current F1 car and has no experience of KERS/DRS or the tyres. He also hasn't been in a F1 race in years. Williams would be the ones taking a big gamble.

You mean in the same manner as Mercedes took a gamble on Schuie as he had absolutely no experience whatsoever with modern cars
At least Kimi ran kers and did a damn good job with it in a bad car.

Jordan 199

vectra wrote: »

I think that should be the other way round,
Kimi would be taking a gamble on Williams.

No. If Kimi wants to drive for Williams, it will be Frank Williams setting down the rules, not Kimi.

vectra

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Schumacher was racing in F1 when Kimi was was still in school. He has vastly more experience in nearly all forms of cars. Kimi has spent that last number of years keeping the spare parts departments in business at Citreon. I rate him as a driver and IF he turns up and is interested he might do well.

Not disputing the fact that Schu is way more experienced than Kimi.. But on that note isn't Rubens the most experienced driver on the grid right now.. Does that mean he is a better driver than Schu??
I think not

Jordan 191 wrote: »

No. If Kimi wants to drive for Williams, it will be Frank Williams setting down the rules, not Kimi.

I may be wrong but I could almost certainly guarantee that should Frank try to offer Kimi a below expected salary or whatever means of payment in a contract Kimi will walk away.
He will not come back for the sake of driving for Frank.

But as the story goes..Time will tell.