Kimi Raikkonen Q&A
Kimi Raikkonen burst into the limelight last month after being lined up for a drive in Formula 1 next year with the Sauber team. The young Finn impressed the Swiss-based outfit during two test sessions and looked set to jump straight to motorsport's premier category from the British Formula Renault championship. At 21, Raikkonen has competed in only 23 car races and does not meet the criteria to obtain the super-licence all drivers require to compete in F1. The Formula 1 Commission is due to meet next week to decide whether Raikkonen should be granted the licence he needs. Sources suggest he is likely to be refused. Raikkonen told Autosport.com what he thinks
"Everybody should be given equal opportunity. I'm not sure how they judge who can have a super-licence and I'm not expecting to be treated differently to anyone else, but Mazzacane came to F1 from Formula Nissan? I believe Formula Renault is very close to F3 in performance, anyway. Really, I only hope to be given a chance to show that I can hack it in F1. It's what I've been working towards and it wouldn't seem right, if I was denied a chance after Sauber have decided to trust in me."
"I do, sure. Some people seem to think I haven't, but I've been racing in karts since I was eight and you drive closer to one another in those. I may only have done 23 car races, but I don't believe the number is a key issue. I don't think Sauber would want a driver, who's not ready for F1. I could do a season in something else, but cannot see that changing my way of driving."
"Mazzacane and who? (After hearing how Lavaggi came to F1 he carries on...) Yes, I do think it would be unfair. I have done well in the Euroseries, too, and at best they had over 40 cars on the grid. I don't understand people writing me off before I've been able to prove myself over those 300 kms of testing."
"Of course I will - that's what we've been working towards in fitness training and everything. I expect they [the F1 Commission] will make up their minds after it. I'm not sure what I should do to convince them, but I'll just approach it as any other test - trying to go fast and not make mistakes."
"I'll be sick as a parrot, of course, after getting a contract to drive in F1. It may waste a full year, as it's very late now to get a decent deal for anything else. But I won't worry about it now. I'll just approach the test assuming I will get the nod. If it goes wrong, then I'll think again."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments