Raikkonen may be denied Superlicence

[Dan Friel]

Should this be the case??

Of course it should.. he's only entered 23 races - ever!!! Why should he not just enter British F3 next year, where he could learn so much more without the pressure - or is afriad of getting beaten by some japanese quick dude called Sato..

[FEUsmart]

Couldn't agree more!

What on earth are Sauber thinking, even considering signing up someone from Formula Renault?? This season's been a bit uncompetitive anyway, if you ask me, and even if Kimi *is* the most fantastic, wonderful amazing driver the world has ever seen, what is the point putting him in F1 now? In a Sauber? With Nick Heidfeld to learn from??

Pop him in F3 or F3000, see how he fares, and test him a few more times. It must be utterly soul destroying for the hundreds and hundreds of drivers, who've spent years and millions, working their way through the categories, and making a name for themselves, to see an F1 team blatently disregard all their hard work. It makes a complete nonsene of everything.

Oooooh, it makes me Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!!

[Dan Friel]

Justin Wilson being one of those drivers mentioned I trust!!

It's just amazing, that someone who wins British Formula Renault (not even the European series) goes straight to F1.. however, he is supposed to be even better than Pizzonia, but who is he better than!! Did he really shine in F3?? Ok, perhaps he did..

[FEUsmart]

How did you guess?!?

I've heard about a test Kimi had a while back in an FPA car at Palmer's test track - apparently he was amazingly quick, and got very close to the circuit record, held by Dino Morelli, I think.

So maybe he's okay. But I still stand by my thoughts about how many more deserving drivers there are out there...

[KC]

I would imagine that they are taking Keke Rosberg at his word. He has stated to Autosport that should Raikkonen be signed he would shake up the F1 world. Has anyone here seen this guy race in person? Is he all that as Rosberg has stated? Obviously he is more than just OK, but does Sauber expect him to be the next Button?

[FEUsmart]

Dan,

Just remembered (okay, consulted old Autosports)

Whoever said Kimi was better than Pizzonia has obviously forgotten that Kimi actually pulled out of his *first* attempt at FReanult with Haywood in May '99 after realising he had no prospect of beating the dominance of Manor/Pizzonia.

A slightly defeatest attitude, wouldn't you say? Sound like a champion to you?

So maybe his plan is to give F1 a try, and if he doesn't win straight off, maybe wait until Schumacher, Hakkinen, Barrichello etc all retire, then come back and have another go...

[Marshal]

Welcome FEUsmart, now you've said that I remember reading the article. I agree, hardly championship material thought process. I think Raikkonen could be quick enough to get a superlicence, but would it be destabilising for F1? Would it make it seem to easy? Are these big enough reasons for the powers that be to stop it happening?

Finally, Dan, you saw him race a couple of times last year, what did you think of his abilities? I think the guy who impressed me most last season was Sato. Anyone else got any opinions who they saw last year who should get the call to F1?

[Zep]

What I've heard, Kimi has already tested F3 also, and was then faster than Pizzonia, who was at the same track at the moment... In 99 Kimi stopped FRenault because Haywood Racing was nothing against Manor. As I recall, Kimi was best non-Manor driver... ?

I haven't heard everything what Keke has said about Kimi, but remember that Kimi isn't in "Keke's team". So if Rosberg has made positive comment about Kimi, then that boy is something. -Keke has maybe 1 or 3 times made positive comments about Salo...

Of course I might be little one sided about Kimi because I'm Finn, but in Finnish press they have many times written, that Kimi's manager Steve Robertson has said that Kimi is more talented than Jenson, his "first driver". I think Jenson is quite talented...

[angst]

I understood that one of the points Keke was getting at was that drivers can now walk into F1 and be competitive without a few years experience in lower formulae because the cars are so easy to drive which, as he points out wouldn't have happened a few years back. If Kimi gets the drive then any driver who is competitive in any class of car is going to be seen as fair game for an F1 team. How much do you think Fisichella costs a year, or Trulli or Ralf, and how much do you think Raikkonen would cost?
If the FIA refuse a superlicence then I believe they would be falsifying the situation (so they might well do so).
Basically alarm bells should be ringing at FIA headquarters, as this makes a complete mockery of F1's position as the top step of the racing ladder.

[Peter Mallett]

Good point and well made. I got the feeling that Hill's comments about getting the best out of the car were in this vein. In other words, anyone can make them go well, but to make them go exceptionally well was virtually impossible.

[WilliamsBMWF1]

I think its has gone a little far hasnt it I mean who next a 16 year old Kart driver with 30 karts races .I remember when more race experience was better it seems to be a disadvanteage for poor Bernoldi who is mega fast and experienced also.Its doesnt seem right to be skipping that many ladders on the way up to f1 I think Sauber is caught up in the hpye that brought Button to f1 so early.
At this rate drivers will be retiring much earlier.

[Gt_R]

i like the idea of having younger drivers in F1, but not too young. maybe in the range of 22 to 30 would be okay.

However, inexperienced drivers makes racing dangerous. For example, Michael's Chop-starts could be skillfully countered by Mika, but an inexperienced driver might just go straight into the back of the car in front, etc.

Perhaps FIA should state that all graduating drivers must have a year of F1 testing behind them before they could race proper?

[marcus]

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[R]

My original thought on this was: If a team thinks a driver is good enough to drive for them, then let him race in F1, regardless of his background.

But a lot of what's been said in this topic has made me think, and I believe some very valid points have been made. I'm in the process of changing my mind on this subject. If this "shortcut" to F1 happens to one or two drivers, it's no big deal, but if it sets a precedent, it's bad for F1. It could lessen F1's status as the pinnacle of motorsport.

[Wiki]

"inexperienced drivers makes racing dangerous"

I totally agree with this. Kimi may prove to be the best driver ever but putting him through a proper F3 F3000 or even champ car apprenticeship is surely not going to harm him and can only do him good.
F1 is prized as the premier event of motorsport -too many young drivers like Kimi will, I feel, devalue it.

[RIKB]

I am a bit of a Jenson fan, so I can't really go on about young drivers too much.

At least Jenson had 2 full seasons in car racing though. He won the FFord championship and won races in British F3 championship. When he came to F1 many thought that he had too little experience. Personally I think he exceeded everyones expectations, but it could easily have gone the other way.

Now we have Kimi hoping to enter with even less experience. In my opinion the line must be drawn somewhere. A year in F3 or even F3000, perhaps combined with an F1 testing contract will do him a power of good, and we will welcome him in 2002 with open arms.

[EERO]

I'd be thrilled to see another Finn in F1-but not 'til he's ready. He needs at least one year in F3 and a year in CART or F3000 AND a testing contract. He is still young.

(I also hate to think of drivers being over the hill in their early thirties.)

[angst]

I think everybody's missed the point about Sauber's interest in Raikkonen. What's he got to learn? How to drive the thing? Well he's already shown that he can handle it quite nicely thankyou very much, it's easy according to him.
Racecraft? What racecraft would that be then? Sprint, pitstop (at a time decreed by the team), sprint, pitstop, sprint. That'll be difficult then.
If the FIA with-hold a superlicence it wil be to give the impression that he is not up to racing F1, rather than because he isn't up to racing in F1.
The fact is with the legal driver aids on the car already they are too easy to drive, from the point of view of testing a driver, which is why inexperienced drivers are coming through and showing extremely well. Added to that, the format of the races make a mockery of a driver learning their trade in the lower formulae. The only thing that Raikkonen would possibly have to work on would be his fitness.
It's time for the FIA wake up and understand that the rot is setting in. I've said it before, but I'll keep saying it - this seriously brings into question the position of F1 as the pinacle of motorsport.

[Dan Friel]

Angst,

I don't think anyone is saying tha Raikkonen won't be in F1 in a years time.. but the jump from national Formula Reanualt to F1 is just huge. How many championships around the globe can be regarded as being on the same level as British Formula Renault?? 100 maybe, maybe more? It's not all about maintaining F1 as the pinnacle of the sport, it's also about protecting the value of championships such as F3000 and all the F3 championships.. what would be the point of these if you could jump straight from a semi competitive national series to F1.. the sport could be ruined.

Tell me, what has Raikkonen proved this year?? Who has he beaten, what have his opponents done in the past?? Why shouldn't he prove himself against his peers such as Sato and Pizzonia, then everyone would be in a postion to make a better fuller judgement.

[angst]

Dan, you seem to have misunderstood where I am coming from. I don't necassarily want Raikkonen in F1. What I'm saying is that, while the jump from, say, FRenault to F1 should be huge, I think Raikkonen's pace and to a certain extent Button's competitiveness this year show that it is not. He said himself that the Sauber was easier to drive than his FRenault, so the cars are obviously too easy to master and don't really test the drivers skills. Button has been as competitive as quickly as he has, taking into consideration his lack of racing experience, because of the format of the races. There is no need to learn racecraft, as none is needed.
So my point is that I believe Raikkonen would be competitive in F1 and that the FIA are hoping to cover this fact up by making him race in another series beforehand, rather than look at the underlying problem which is that F1 is not challenging enough for the drivers (other than physically) for it to truely be the pinnacle of the sport.

[Dan Friel]

I don't accept that a F1 car is 'easy' to drive, and to 'master' a F1 car is more difficult. Ok, so. You're probably right that Raikkenon is able to drive a F1 car competively.. but. to master it?? I don't know..

I've seen too many good yound drivers wasted because they don't have enough experience to handle F1 - remember Jan Magnussun (who won 14 F3 races in one year!!) or JJ Lehto.. ok there might have been other issues. But it's been proved that some young drivers need more experience to become established in F1. Coming in too early is a gamble, well done Jenson.

Saw a very interesting programme on Channel 4 which discussed the issues of driver aids in F1, which concluded that even if you had all the aids, the top driver (Senna and Schumacher early 90's) will still be the best and will beat lesser drivers. And from what is being discussed, every driver aid will be allowed in 2 years time, except active suspension..

[angst]

Raikkonen himself said it was easier to drive than his FRenault car, it's the driver saying that, not me. He posted some very fast times, so it could be argued that he is pretty close to mastering the thing. I see your point about the likes of Magnusson, but I think that has more to do with the very narrow band of driving styles that are competitive with current F1 cars - see also Zanardi. Stopping Raikkonen from receiving a superlicence is nothing more than papering over the ever-multiplying cracks.
The FIA need to start taking action before F1 becomes something of a joke.

[Gt_R]

with so many "Rookies" coming into F1 and doing well almost immediately, it does seem F1 is getting "easier"...and with Driving Aids?!!~

I think F1 cars require a style that is suitable to the new generation of young drivers...Smooth and precise.
Zinardi failed because he is more aggressive with the car control.
Alesi to an extent has a unique style too...although he still manages to do pretty well, Nick is getting better on him over time.
Mika Hakk did well now than before because his car control is smooth...
Senna and Michael always do well because they could adapt themselves to suit the car and style required.
Jenson is another good prove of young drivers doing well...

In the past..cars needs to be wrestled to get the times...
but now..with aids, power steering, carbon brakes..power curve...all that they need is smoothness~ the young kids have it

[Marshal]

Just like karts!

[chunder]

This is Sauber we are talking about isn't it. You know Sauber,that team in the blue cars that never really do anything. Sauber the team that employed Pedro Diniz beacuse they thought he was quick, Sauber the team that couldn't win a race with Mercedes engines and Hakkinen driving. Sauber the team that has never taken a risk since it started in F1 in 93.
I find it ridiculous that we are even talking about letting a driver into F1 who has little experience in a QUICK single seater. Especially when so many talents are overlooked. Someone mentioned Justin Wilson, Bravo, Jorg Muller, what the hell ever happened to him, Bernoldi is a pressure and always has been, remember F3 in Britain. Oh dear.
Pantano would be a better bet surely.
Heidfeld and Raikkonen in the same team with only a years F1 experience between them, I wouldn't want to be the Sauber chassis maker!