Raikkonen is a Calculated Risk, Says Sauber

Sauber are taking a calculated risk in giving inexperienced Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen his Formula One debut, team boss Peter Sauber said on Wednesday.

"We are taking a risk but it is a controlled risk," Sauber told a news conference at the launch of their C20 car at the team's Swiss headquarters.

"When I see how cool Kimi is approaching Formula One racing, I do not think there is a danger.

"We know that it will take Kimi time to find his feet in Formula One, once the racing starts, but our expectations of his long-term potential are very high."

British American Racing team boss Craig Pollock said last week he feared the 21-year-old Finn's inexperience could create a potentially dangerous situation on the track.

Raikkonen has competed in just 23 single seater car races in his career, despite years in karts.

"There is the risk of a starting collision and he does not know the tracks as well as the competitors," Sauber said. But he added that Raikkonen was doing more training for starts and pit stops as a result.

He said Raikkonen could be compared with Benetton driver Jenson Button, who had made an impressive debut at Williams last season when barely 20 years old.

Frentzen Said No

"We want to get away from the eighth position in the constructors' standings and for that you need a good car and good drivers," Sauber said.

Sauber scored just six points in 2000, all by departed Finn Mika Salo, who has joined Toyota ahead of the Japanese car giant's Formula One debut in 2002.

The team boss said drivers of the class of Rubens Barrichello or Heinz-Harald Frentzen were not available although he had been close to getting German Frentzen back to the team that gave him his race debut in 1994.

Frentzen was third in the championship for Jordan in 1999 but finished ninth in 2000 with just two podium finishes. Brazilian Barrichello is at Ferrari.

Raikkonen, who will partner 23-year-old German driver Nick Heidfeld, obtained his Formula One super licence late last year and was unfazed by the doubts surrounding him.

He said he was excited about the new car and had been working on his neck muscles because in initial training sessions the G-force of the car made his neck hurt.

"Nick and I get on well together, and I am looking forward to the season ahead. I am aware that everyone will be watching me, and it is up to me at the beginning to prove I belong to Formula One," he said.

While Heidfield spent the Christmas holidays cross-country skiing in Klosters to work on his conditioning, Raikkonen revealed that he was a keen snowboarder: "It is not dangerous when you know what you are doing," he said.

Sauber said he wanted to improve on last year's ranking but this would not be easy with Jaguar determined to make up for their poor ninth place overall.