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Formula 1 today 17 years ago: Kimi frustration baptism after cancellation
Formula 1 today 17 years ago: Kimi frustration baptism after cancellation
Kimi Räikkönen made a virtue of necessity at the Formula 1 race in Monaco in 2006. After a capital engine damage to his McLaren-Mercedes, he stepped back to the pits – and swayed off the path. Instead of TV interviews, there was a few beers with his Finnish friends on the yacht. The unpleasant part of his job was allowed to wait.
Formula 1 today 17 years ago: Kimi Räikkönen fled to yacht
After Schumacher’s transfer of sentences, everything indicated an easy victory for Fernando Alonso in Monaco. After all, the Spaniard, with the supposedly best package, now started from Pole – with the Williams by Mark Webber as a shielding service against the McLaren of Räikkönen and Juan Pablo Montoya on P2.
But already in round two the Finn had passed the casino past the Australian and opened the hunt for Alonso. The Iceman was almost consistent in the Renault’s gearbox – until a safety car phase on lap 49 became a fancy. Not only did the Safety Car come to the strategic for the McLaren pilot, it got much worse.
Without the cooling ride, a pit stop alone delivers greater potential for overheating, then follows a stroll behind the Safety Car, it becomes even more dangerous. This is exactly what happened in Monte Carlo in 2006, when everyone used the SC for a time-saving stop. But the McLaren, who is still susceptible to defects, did not play a part. After lap 50, Räikkönen rolled out with a smoked rear before porters. A defective heat shield on the exhaust pipe of the MP4-21 had become a foolish down to the Finn. Again – that had already happened in training on Thursday before!
In addition, it was only the next countless damage, which had already cost Räikkönen the chance to title in the previous year, which now ruined once again, this time much earlier in the season. With almost 40 points behind winner and World Championship leader Alonso, Räikkönen left the seventh season race in the Principality. How did he depart? Maybe by yacht? At any rate, the Iceman operated there immediately after his retirement frustration.
And with immediately we mean immediately. Nothing there’s analysis, McLaren’s debriefing or interviews – after the defect, Räikkönen climbed out of his broken car, marched in front of a magnificent flower backdrop over a well-kept piece of Monaco lawn, then through the tunnel, past the harbour harass and from there straight towards the famous marina. Moments later, the cameras caught the Finns – now with their own chest – just there. With friends from Finland and beer (also from Finland?) on a yacht. Frustration à la Iceman.
McLaren banged for Räikkönen – rightly
“It is always very disappointing if you don’t reach the goal. But it is particularly hard if you have such a good chance of victory as I did in Monte Carlo,” later explained this curious action. Whether he was already at Ferrari in his thought? “It’s nice if people think I’m the best driver. But I want the title and ride for the racing team, which offers me the best possibilities for it,” said Räikkönen mysteriously.
Mercedes Sport head Norbert Haug apparently already swallows the evil. “In the current situation, we are not talking about the title. But if we take another step forward in the performance, Kimi may be convinced that you shouldn’t leave the team too early.” But it did the same. A year later, Räikkönen drove for the Scuderia, winning the first race and became world champion – against McLaren.
Formula 1 today six years ago: Räikkönen’s victory stolen?
The 28. May, Kimi Räikkönen, Monaco and a lot of frustration – that appears to be somehow part together. On this date, there was still a story that the Iceman didn’t like. This time, however, it was at Ferrari instead of McLaren, more precisely in the Finn’s second term at the Scuderia.
For the first time since the GP in 2008 (!), Räikkönen started the Pole from a Formula 1 race in Monaco in 2017. Especially there the ideal starting point to grab the first victory since Australia in 2013. But it should be done otherwise – and that, for vice could, anything but tingling.
For half the race everything ran according to plan. By lap 33, Räikkönen led a normal procession in Monaco ahead of Sebastian Vettel. Then he headed for the box, falling behind Daniel Ricciardo. Vettel, however, allowed Ferrari to drive much longer. The German came to the only service five laps after his team-mate – and suddenly turned back onto the track through this overcut from Räikkönen. This did not change to the end.
Räikkönen seemed like an oil pillar on the podium – with even more stone mimics as general. Because he was annoyed by a hidden team order? After all, Ferrari had also sent him in two overcircumctions after his stop. “Of course it wasn’t ideal to get back on the track behind an overlap car and of course that definitely didn’t help me,” argued Räikkönen. While the experts were divided on the part of the team order, Räikkönen himself remained used to being used, only his frustration showed.
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A former Ferrari engineer has criticised the decision to bring in Lewis Hamilton and thinks the Brit’s presence will mean “a lot of potential for drama”.
At the age of 40, seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton will form a formidable driver partnership with Charles Leclerc. His big switch comes at the expense of Carlos Sainz, who has performed well for the Italian squad but who was axed so they had room for their blockbuster new signing.
But not everyone of a Ferrari persuasion is convinced that it will go well. Ernest Knoors, who spent many years as an engineer at Maranello, specialising in power units, worries that Hamilton’s presence could do more harm than good for a team that is finding its groove under Frederic Vasseur.
“A big name like Hamilton also brings a lot of politics and if politics within Ferrari are not managed well, then there is a lot of potential for drama,” he told Formule1.nl. “Hamilton has the tendency that if things do not work out, he turns his whole car upside down and starts experimenting.
“Ferrari believes very much in the big personalities and will follow him. But Hamilton is just someone you have to guide a little bit and not give the freedom to rebuild the whole car, because then it will go completely wrong. So I do not know if it is such a smart move, but of course it is nice for the sport.”
News of Hamilton’s planned move broke on February 1, coinciding with football’s Transfer Deadline Day. That the back pages of many newspapers were dominated by the decision of Hamilton to swap Mercedes for Ferrari was testament to the magnitude of the announcement.
Sainz was not surprised as he had been informed by his team of the plan ahead of it being made public. But the Spaniard responded well with two victories to date this season and five further appearances on the podium, on the way to what looks likely to be a fifth-placed finish in the championship – two spots and 54 points ahead of Hamilton.
Sainz has signed for Williams next year and, after several years of running at the front of the grid, will focus on his new challenge of helping restore one of the grid’s most historic teams to its former glory. But Knoors believes he should have been kept on by Ferrari instead.
The Dutchman added: “I see Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari more as a PR move. With all due respect, Hamilton is not going to take that Ferrari from P6 to P1. He will get the most out of it, but what Ferrari has to do is make that car faster. And if you make that car faster, you can easily drive at the front with the current line-up.
“Besides, as a team you have to look further on the horizon. If Hamilton becomes champion in the coming years, he and Ferrari will become immortal. But if you want to build a team with talent for the next five years, are you going to build on Hamilton? No, because he will really be finished after two or three years. That is why I would have kept the very strong line-up that Ferrari has now.”
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Chase Elliott had a front-row seat for one of NASCAR’s most bizarre moments of the 2024 Cup Series season. At the start of Stage 2, the pace car dove onto pit road in front of Elliott; however, it was a tad too late. The pace car made contact with the sand barrels at the entry of pit road and caused a red flag for cleanup.
Initially, there was some speculation on the NBC Sports broadcast, even from the No. 9 team, that Elliott made contact with the pace car. Fortunately, the pace car didn’t slide across the No. 9 car’s nose, but it undoubtedly provided one of NASCAR’s craziest red flag moments in recent memory.
Below, you can listen to Elliott and the No. 9 team react to the pace car crashing into the sand barrels on pit road at Phoenix during Championship Weekend!
Reflecting on the recent retirement of 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., Earnhardt didn’t mince words about the toll NASCAR takes on its drivers. Speaking candidly, the two-time Daytona 500 winner admitted that the pressure to perform every week left him feeling miserable for most of his racing career—a sentiment he believes is shared by many of his peers.
“Right or wrong, racing made me a miserable person 90% of the time,” Earnhardt confessed. “And him too. I mean, ask Kyle Busch, ask anybody—unless you’re winning, you’re not happy.”
For these elite drivers, the sport is a relentless grind. A podium finish might bring temporary relief, but anything short of victory is often a source of frustration. The immense effort poured into preparation and execution rarely feels like it pays off unless the checkered flag is theirs.
Earnhardt highlighted the mental toll of falling short, explaining how the relentless focus on winning can overshadow the joy of simply competing. Even a solid performance feels hollow compared to the euphoria of a win.
“Unless you’re winning, you’re not happy at all,” he said. “You’re okay with a good run, but for the most part, all the effort it takes just to run good—it doesn’t weigh out.”
For drivers, the stakes are sky-high every week. Sponsors, fans, and teams demand nothing less than excellence, leaving little room for error or personal satisfaction in anything less than a dominant performance.
Earnhardt also shared insights into his friendship with Martin Truex Jr., who recently announced his retirement. While the two often spend time hunting together during NASCAR’s off-season, Earnhardt noted that the stress of racing even creeps into their leisure activities.
“When I’m with him during hunting season, it’s always in the back of his mind,” Earnhardt said. “It’s that stressful part of the year when he’s as miserable as he’s going to be.”
Now, with Truex stepping away from the track, Earnhardt looks forward to seeing a lighter, happier version of his long-time friend. Without the weight of weekly competition hanging over him, Truex might finally be able to relax and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle he cherishes.
“It’ll be fun to see him loosen up,” Earnhardt added.
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