44…–17/10/2023

Auguri a Kimi, ricordando Austin 2018

Buon compleanno a KR7.
Sono 44 e per una curiosa coincidenza questa è anche la settimana del Gp di Austin, dove nel 2018 Kimi Raikkonen firmò l’ultima vittoria in carriera.
Ho talvolta tentato di raccontare come sia nata fra noi una simpatia reciproca. Fatta soprattutto di silenzi.
Per mestiere e forse anche per indole, io sono un tipo affetto da logorrea. Deve essere per una sorta di legge del contrappasso che apprezzo istintivamente chi sa misurare le parole. Del resto, il mondo è pieno di babbei che le parole proprio non le sanno usare, in ogni contesto.
Con Kimi ogni tanto ci scambiamo messaggi. Lui sa che io so e buonanotte, per noi è sufficiente.
Una delle cose più divertenti che ho realizzato nel corso di una immeritata carriera è una conversazione via Zoom (eravamo in piena seconda ondata Covid) con lui per promuovere l’edizione italiana della sua biografia.
Ad un certo punto, riuscii a farlo ridere. Mission impossible, per un giornalista!
Dirò un’altra cosa.
Nonostante l’apparente distacco, raramente ho conosciuto un pilota così legato alla Ferrari. Sarà per il ricordo di quel giorno ad Interlagos. Sarà perché a Maranello volle tornarci con tutte le sue forze, richiamato dagli stessi che lo avevano mandato via. Sarà perché quando sei vero dentro capisci le differenze e non è mai una mera questione di soldi.
E Kimi è una persona autentica.
Del driver direi banalità. Certamente avrebbe potuto vincere di più e certamente il rimpianto mio e suo è datato 2008, per quello che doveva essere e non fu.
Può darsi, come sostiene qualcuno, che il Raikkonen più forte (intendo in pista) sia stato quello degli anni McLaren. Ma alla Ferrari ha dato tanto, compresi (vedi caso, eh) gli ultimi tre titoli iridati, fra 2007 e 2008.
Non sono mai riuscito a farmi spiegare come riuscì a vincere a Spa nel 2009 con una carriola dipinta di Rosso: ci sono grandi campioni che sulle Ardenne hanno vinto solo a briscola, eh.
Presto Kimi tornerà a vivere in Italia, dalle parti di Como. Non gli dispiacerebbe un futuro da campione per il piccolo Robin, che dicono sia una promessa del volante.
Quando ci ritroveremo, porterò con me il fido Mazgiorg, cloggaro illuminato.
“Sbrigatevi a vincere questo benedetto mondiale, mi sto stufando di sentirmi dire che sono l’ultimo iridato con la Ferrari” (Kimi Raikkonen ai dipendenti del reparto corse, cena di Natale 2018).

Da Quotidiano.net

Un talento naturale–18/04/2023

Zhender (ds Sauber): “Leclerc è il pilota perfetto, Raikkonen talento pazzesco”

Beat Zehnder è uno dei team manager più longevi della F1, poiché lavora da più di trent’anni alla Sauber, di cui è attualmente il direttore sportivo. L’ingegnere svizzero ha avuto l’opportunità di lavorare a stretto contatto con tanti piloti, tra cui si possono citare ad esempio Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel quando era collaudatore Sauber BMW nel 2007, Robert Kubica, Charles Leclerc, Kimi Raikkonen, fino alla coppia attuale formata da Bottas e Zhou.

Il direttore sportivo di Hinwill, in una recente intervista, ha citato due piloti su tutti, ovvero Leclerc e Raikkonen. Secondo Zehnder il monegasco della Ferrari è il pilota più vicino alla perfezione col quale ha lavorato, un complimento non da poco.

“Charles per me è un grande talento e probabilmente tra quelli con cui ho lavorato è il pilota che più avvicina la perfezione – le parole di Zehnder a RacingNews365.com -. Ha una voglia incredibile di conoscere la F1, di capirla, si interessa al lato tecnico, si mette in discussione, forse è anche troppo autocritico. La capacità di assumersi le responsabilità e di non incolpare gli altri fa la differenza, pochi piloti hanno questa qualità”.

Un altro pilota che ha colpito Zehnder è Raikkonen, per il talento velocistico puro. Il finnico campione del mondo 2007 ha corso con l’Alfa Romeo le sue ultime tre stagioni in F1, dal 2019 al 2021.

“Kimi come talento di guida puro è incredibile – le parole del ds Sauber -. Anche quando ha fatto ritorno da noi nel 2019 si è dimostrato in grado di guidare la macchina in modo impressionante come velocità, è il pilota che più di chiunque altro è capace di andare forte senza perdere troppo tempo con l’assetto, si siede e pare già a suo agio. E’ velocissimo”.

Da f1grandprix.motorionline.com

Nascar, ritorno amaro–26/03/2023

Raikkonen "got unlucky" with COTA chaos on NASCAR return

On his second Cup outing with the Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet squad, Raikkonen started 22nd in Sunday’s race and ran in the midfield for most of the day.

However after a late caution brought the field back together, the Finn eyed an opportunity to gain track position. Having pitted just before the yellow flag, he stayed out and jumped up to fourth with less than ten laps to go.

But what followed could only be described as chaos, with multiple incidents and several late-race restarts. Raikkonen fought for every spot in the full-contact racing, but faded and after a spin ended up 27th at the flag as Tyler Reddick claimed victory.

A post-race 30-second penalty for short-cutting the esses on the final lap demoted him to 29th and the final lead lap car as a result, while fellow F1 champion Jenson Button finished 18th on his Cup debut in a Rick Ware Racing Ford.

Reflecting on his performance after the race, Raikkonen said: "I think it wasn’t too bad.

"We got unlucky with the incidents that happened. It was one of those things unfortunately, then there were no tyres left.

"They kept coming, getting more restarts and more restarts, so I think after the spin I had, the tyres were just done.

"It’s a shame because when we were there, but then we restart, and just wrong place, wrong time.

"It was a case of trying to stay out of the issues in the first corners and every time.

"It looked like you’d be very good, then three corners later, somebody’s going the wrong direction. There’s a bit of mess and luck involved."

Raikkonen hasn’t given much thought to what comes next, but Trackhouse team owner Justin Marks has previously said that the #91 car is his whenever Raikkonen wants it.

"I don’t know," he said when asked about any future NASCAR starts. "I mean, nobody knows.

"It’s such a shame how it went in the end, but I think we did the right thing. We were there.

"But then on the restart it’s how it was. We’ll see what the future brings. Right now, I have no clue.

"It was a long race. Our cool suit didn’t work half of the race, it stopped working. So it was quite hot in the car.

"It was fun going through the field, but it was a bit intense on the restarts."

Da Autosport.com

Nascar e F1, differenze–25/03/2023

Raikkonen enjoys "older-style" racing without DRS in NASCAR

The 2007 world champion is making his second race outing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Circuit of the Americas this weekend, rejoining the Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team with which he made his debut at Watkins Glen last year.

The Finn, who retired from F1 at the end of the 2021 season after making 349 race starts, will start 22nd in tomorrow’s race, two positions ahead of NASCAR Cup rookie Jenson Button after they were only 0.033s apart in lap times.

Speaking at Austin on Saturday, Raikkonen said one of NASCAR’s main appeals was the way the low-downforce stock cars are able to race each other without any reliance on any movable aerodynamic devices, such as the Drag Reduction System which has been used in F1 since 2011.

"There are places you can overtake, and especially in F1, you don’t get a lot of circuits you can have a good race," he said.

"People can actually overtake without the DRS, and it feels more like a normal older-style F1 racing."

Expanding on the differences between F1 and NASCAR, he added: "The racing is slightly different because in F1 with open wheels, if you touch somebody you usually lose a car or lose the wheel.

"You cannot really take that risk in F1 that much because you lose tiny parts of the car, and your car is suddenly a second slower than it should be.

"In NASCAR, you can have a bit more closer racing. Obviously, the rules are different, they’re more open here.

"I think it’s more of if you kind of behave, well they’ll behave a similar way against you the way I’ve understood. It makes it more exciting at the end of the races when people can be quite aggressive."

Raikkonen explained that the circuit is very different to drive in NASCAR compared to F1, as the nature of several corners at COTA are changed by having less downforce.

The 2018 US Grand Prix winner at COTA with Ferrari particularly cited Turns 17 and 18, which "are pretty easy and flat for those [F1] cars".

"Probably the most tricky corners for NASCAR, they’re not really for F1 cars because of the downforce," he said. "It makes a huge difference in the track.

"All of the bumps the track has in F1 you get away with a lot because, again, the downforce helps and you don’t really feel it.

"But in a NASCAR car, the effect is quite big. It makes it a much more tricky track to drive and to get the car somewhat working as you wish.

"It’s a completely different track in many ways. It sounds stupid because it’s the same track, but the car makes it a lot different."

NASCAR has also removed stage breaks for road course events, allowing the race to play out more naturally than in the past.

He also acknowledged that the car felt "more tail-happy" as a result of NASCAR removing significant amount of downforce for events at short tracks and road courses.

Da Autosport.com

Ritorno negli USA–22/03/2023

Raikkonen “excited” to return to NASCAR Cup racing at COTA

This will be Raikkonen’s first start at COTA since finishing 13th for Alfa Romeo in the 2021 United States Grand Prix. It was also the scene of the 2007 world champion’s final F1 win for Ferrari in 2018.

He will race the No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro fielded by Trackhouse Racing’s part-time crew led by 23-race winning crew chief Darian Grubb, who won a Cup Series title with Tony Stewart in 2011.

“Obviously, it’s helpful that I know the track,” said Raikkonen. “Now, the F1 car and a NASCAR Cup car are slightly different in how they feel when you go around it.

“I need to remember there’s a lot less downforce when I go around the first time coming out of the pits.”

Raikkonen will make his second Cup start for Trackhouse Racing’s Project91 program, following his debut at Watkins Glen last year. He ran in eighth position briefly during a pitstop cycle in a weather-affected race, before later crashing out and injuring his wrist.

“Last year was a great experience,” said Raikkonen. “Unfortunately, the result wasn’t what we were looking for because we got caught up in a wreck, but that’s part of racing.

“I am excited to have another go, and hopefully we will stay out of any big issues. This will be tricky for sure, but the further we go in the weekend the easier it gets.

“At least I have an idea of how we can approach the weekend. I think we did a good job last year. Is the car going to give us a better result? I don’t know, I hope so.”

Team boss Justin Marks added: “We had a great event last year and left Watkins Glen wanting a little bit more, so I am glad we could put this weekend together.

“Kimi is a world class talent and it’s been a pleasure to have him join our team. He’s been everything we could hope for, and I think we have showed him how competitive, professional and fun NASCAR racing really is these days.”

Trackhouse’s Ross Chastain scored his maiden Cup career victory at COTA last year, when he passed two cars in the final corners, while team-mate Daniel Suarez dominated the early going before a power steering failure ended his victory bid.

“Kimi was a lot of fun last year when he raced with us in Watkins Glen,” said Suarez. “You can certainly see his talent. He picked up NASCAR racing so quickly.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how he does this year on a track where he has won in Formula 1. I think he will be very quick.”

Raikkonen will be joined on the grid by Button, who is driving a Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing.

They will have a little bit of added time to get acclimated, as the Cup Series features an extra practice session for 50 minutes this Friday, before qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday.

Da Autosport.com