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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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Great rumor about Schumacher – but bad memories are already coming back
The dream is still alive – but the glimmer of hope is shrinking more and more! Mick Schumacher actually wanted to use the wild driver market to slip back into Formula 1. However, some prominent options are already off the table.
The latest rumor about the son of record world champion Michael Schumacher is all the more surprising. He is very familiar with this Formula 1 racing team. But the current situation brings back bad memories.
Formula 1: No Audi, no Mercedes
After the departure of Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes would have been the dream solution for Schumacher. He has been a test driver for the Silver Arrows for over a year and receives praise from all sides. Here he could finally have presented himself in a competitive car. However, there are increasing signs that his name is not on team boss Toto Wolff’s list of possible candidates. Especially since he’s already digging Max Verstappen ( find out more here ).
+++ Next Red Bull shocker? Helmut Marko spills the beans +++
Audi’s hopes also recently received a severe setback. The German carmaker chose Nico Hülkenberg as the face of its own campaign. In addition, Carlos Sainz, who has to leave Ferrari, will probably follow. Schumacher couldn’t compete with the Spaniard’s charisma.
Place on the chaos team?
So what options remain in Formula 1? According to the “F1 Insider” portal, Alpine could suddenly become an issue. Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly are actually set here. Because things aren’t going well this season, the former in particular is aiming for a change after the season.
The connection to Schumacher is definitely there, as he has been driving for the Alpine endurance team since this year. So far he has been able to impress with fast lap times. Is this his ticket back to the premier class?
Formula 1: Alpine on the brink
Only: How much would it bring him? During his first F1 phase, Schumacher sat in a Haas with no chance and in which it was impossible to shine. Something similar is currently looming at Alpine. Instead of fighting for podiums, the car is a cucumber and hasn’t scored a single point yet. A fate that is shared with Williams and Sauber – but that was also to be expected with them.
There is also a lot of background noise surrounding layoffs and resignations. Mick Schumacher probably wouldn’t hesitate if he were offered a return to Formula 1. But Alpine’s current state bodes ill for its chances of success.
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After Hamilton’s commitment: Ferrari changes name
The commitment of Lewis Hamilton as a driver pays off twice for Ferrari. The Italian racing team has a new title sponsor and is changing its name.
Munich – Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 move from Mercedes to Ferrari for the coming season caused a huge stir . With the seven-time world champion, the Scuderia wants to launch the major attack on Red Bull and Max Verstappen in 2025, which currently seems unassailable.
And the Hamilton deal pays off twice for Ferrari: On the one hand, the Italian racing team gains what is probably the biggest name among active drivers. On the other hand, the name Hamilton attracts major sponsors. One of them will now become the main and title sponsor. This means: Ferarri is even changing its name.
Ferrari completes deal with new title sponsor
As the racing team announced on Wednesday, the US technology company Hewlett-Packard (HP) will be the new title sponsor. From now on, the two current drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr., whom Hamilton will replace in the coming season, will no longer be racing for “Scuderia Ferrari” but for “Scuderia Ferrari HP”.
“Our founder passed on to us his constant desire for progress. This results in our pursuit of innovation on the road and on the racetrack. In HP we have found the same values, which makes the company an ideal partner. We look forward to starting our collaboration and facing new opportunities and challenges together,” Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna is quoted as saying in a press release.
HP deal brings Ferrari new look
The sponsorship deal will also change the look of the cars and racing suits. For the first time, the HP logo will appear on the cars of Leclerc and Sainz Jr. at the Grand Prix in Miami on May 5th. be visible. However, the exact appearance of the cars is not yet known.
Denny Hamlin Takes a Shot at Kyle Larson as the HMS Driver Brings Up Petty Issues
After the Wurth 400 Race, Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch expressed their displeasure in their respective post-race interviews at Dover, blaming their loss primarily on the aero blocking associated with the next-gen cars. Where Larson is listed as the 5-1 favorite to win at Dover, for Busch, it was his second career Dover pole. After the race, Busch emphasized how previous models at least allowed some room to maneuver for passes, a flexibility that seems absent in the next-gen cars.
Larson, expanding on this, pointed out that aero blocking is particularly significant at the front of the pack. He noted that drivers leading the race could easily use their in-car cameras to keep tabs on challengers behind them and block effectively. #5 suggested that removing these cameras could potentially alleviate the problem.
However, Denny Hamlin, the Dover winner, who once again “beat your favorite driver” doesn’t see eye to eye with this viewpoint. He actually downplayed the impact of in-car cameras, considering their removal a minor tweak rather than a significant solution to the overarching issues with next-generation cars.
Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson are at loggerheads with each other
#5 Hendrick Motorsports driver recently floated the idea that NASCAR should ditch the rear-view cameras to make air-blocking tougher. He repeatedly described how “easy” it is to block using these cameras, explaining, “It’s really hard to pass the lead car. […] Honestly, if they took the cameras out of the car, that’s probably one of the little things that could fix it. It’s hard to see out of the rearview mirrors, but the cameras are so easy. I would be for it if they took the cameras out. I don’t know if he ;[Hamlin] runs the camera, he probably does and it’s really easy.”
However, Denny Hamlin doesn’t see eye-to-eye with Kyle Larson. In his post-race comments, the JGR driver mentioned he rarely used the camera at Dover, noting, “Yeah, I mean, I use it at times. I didn’t use it much today simply because Dover is just a track where things happen so fast. I feel like personally if I take my eyes off the road for a second, I take it to the camera, I’ll miss my line kind of rely more on the spotter to defend than I do the actual camera just simply because I don’t think I’m good enough to drive and look backwards.”
Denny Hamlin wasn’t buying the camera removal idea as a fix for aero blocking. He flat-out said it wouldn’t make a difference. “No, it wouldn’t change anything because the spotters would tell you where to drive,” he explained. He said that he would rather see changes to the car, tires, or something more substantial. According to him, the current cars just can’t stand being in traffic or trailing another car, which is why they perform best on wider tracks where the following driver has room to maneuver. It’s all a strategic game.
But besides these camera and aero-blocking discussions, there’s something else worth celebrating for Denny Hamlin. With his latest win at Dover, Denny Hamlin has now matched a legendary driver in the record books.
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