2007 Season Predictions

[ykickamoocow 0]

Flat spotting his tyre is the best example I think. It didnt need to happen, it was because of his driving style and he was leading so thats the most points you can stupidly throw away when you on on the home stretch in the fastest car on the grid. Jem want to jump in and say McLaren should have made it so the tyres cant be flat spotted?

Kimi simply wont survive a season long close battle with any other driver, especially if its Alonso or Schumacher who can actually think on their feet.

Or more accurately to beable to think on their arses as F1 drivers rarely stand while in a F1 car.

[Jem of the Shire 0]

Flat spotting his tyre is the best example I think. It didnt need to happen, it was because of his driving style and he was leading so thats the most points you can stupidly throw away when you on on the home stretch in the fastest car on the grid. Jem want to jump in and say McLaren should have made it so the tyres cant be flat spotted?

Kimi simply wont survive a season long close battle with any other driver, especially if its Alonso or Schumacher who can actually think on their feet.

That flat-spotting example is very poor, in my opinion. How on earth does that make him a car-breaker, what driver hasnt flat-spotted a tyre at some point? Please explain how that means kimi causes his own unreliability (not that his unreliability has actually been bad except 2005). Yes kimi did stay out rather than pit, I guess he was desperate for the win and felt that the car would hold out. Who's to say Alonso wouldnt have done the same thing?

In response to your second comment, have you forgotten 2003? And 2005? A very bold statement, especially immediately prior to a season which many expect kimi to win. I dont think many f1 fans, whether they like kimi or not, would agree with you that kimi cant survive a season long battle with another driver, cos that verges on ridiculous - he's already shown he can survive season long battles

[feanor 0]

Alonso break the MP4/22 in the first test.

:clap3: :clap3: :clap3: :clap3:

[monza gorilla 1]

obviously the harder a car is pushed, the more chance it will break, but thats not the issue - a racing driver should not be criticised for driving too fast!!! And a formula 1 racing car, the pinnacle of motorsport technology, should be able to withstand the pressures of being pushed to its limit. There is no evidence at all that alonso deliberately drives slower than he could do cos he thinks of the car. All drivers obviously slow down and nurse the car when they've got the win in the bag, or near the end of the race, but I'm sure they all drive as fast as they possibly can until they get to that point

Again, fast and slow have nothing to do with it!! Of course all drivers will drive as fast as they are able - it's their job! And yes, they will back off if the race is in the bag. The issue at hand is how they go about it. A smooth driver and an aggressive (for want of a better word) driver might extract the same speed from a car, but the smooth driver puts it under far less stress. And the more stress a component is under then the closer it comes to failure, and is thus more likely to fail. It seems a fairly simple concept.

[kup 0]

Put a smooth, fast driver into the car. Then put an aggressive (rough in ... words), fast driver into an identical car. Send them out onto the track. Which one will break first ?

+1 Agreed. Nice eureka. And the other nice question: who will be the WDC ? Maybe another driver who is as smooth as aggressive and rough. The golden middle.

[Jem of the Shire 0]

Again, fast and slow have nothing to do with it!! Of course all drivers will drive as fast as they are able - it's their job! And yes, they will back off if the race is in the bag. The issue at hand is how they go about it. A smooth driver and an aggressive (for want of a better word) driver might extract the same speed from a car, but the smooth driver puts it under far less stress. And the more stress a component is under then the closer it comes to failure, and is thus more likely to fail. It seems a fairly simple concept.

yes, it is, but i dont think kimi is a particularly aggressive driver and it hasnt affected other drivers who have an 'aggressive' style, most notably M Schuey. And no-one has responded to my point that kimi had no engine failures at all in 06 (havent looked into that, maybe he had 1??)

[monza gorilla 1]

I'm not talking about Kimi per se. Just contrasting the effects of two different styles.

[monza gorilla 1]

Hold on a minute. What am I doing here? This is Mike's argument.

[Jem of the Shire 0]

I'm not talking about Kimi per se. Just contrasting the effects of two different styles.

your point is correct but its not what mike and others have been arguing

[monza gorilla 1]

I've just realised that. I'll get me coat.

[Autumnpuma 0]

your point is correct but its not what mike and others have been arguing

It is. I've singled out Kimi as a prime example, but Russ' argument supports mine.

EDIT: I'm hereby done with this argument, guys. It's raising my blood-pressure too much.

[Jem of the Shire 0]

yeah me too. Anyway kimi's 100% reliability record in 2007 will kill off the whole idea

[whiskee 0]

Driver's Championship:

1. Kimi R

[Autumnpuma 0]

yes, it is, but i dont think kimi is a particularly aggressive driver and it hasnt affected other drivers who have an 'aggressive' style, most notably M Schuey. And no-one has responded to my point that kimi had no engine failures at all in 06 (havent looked into that, maybe he had 1??)

Well, off the top of my head, he ran far too close to Alonso in Monaco after knowing that his car had heat-shield problems. A smarter driver would have backed off a bit to get some clean air into his car and brought that car home in 2nd. This isn't an engine failure, but it still qualifies under my argument that Kimi has very little mechanical sympathy.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Well, off the top of my head, he ran far too close to Alonso in Monaco after knowing that his car had heat-shield problems. A smarter driver would have backed off a bit to get some clean air into his car and brought that car home in 2nd. This isn't an engine failure, but it still qualifies under my argument that Kimi has very little mechanical sympathy.

OR, Kimi kept close proximity to line Alonso up for an overtake at the restart.... It could have been the case Mike??

[Player(1) 0]

*cough*

source

The list of insiders who think Kimi Raikkonen might struggle to shine at Ferrari continues to grow.

Formerly the designer of Mercedes' F1 engines, Mario Illien agrees that during Raikkonen's McLaren tenure he showed no interest in anything other than driving the car.

The 57-year-old Swiss also suggested that, perhaps unlike Michael Schumacher or Fernando Alonso, Raikkonen is not a thinking man's racer.

"Kimi only wants to go to full power. He is not interested in anything else," Illien, now involved in MotoGP, told Sport Bild.

Illien thinks Raikkonen's lack of c#ckpit finesse actually contributed to many of McLaren's car failures between 2002 and 2006.

"Lap after lap after lap, no driver is harder on his equipment (than Raikkonen)," he charged.

Illien said the only way Raikkonen will succeed at Ferrari is if the Maranello based team 'build a tank' for the Finn. Reliability is already a concern for Ferrari after Schumacher broke down at a pivotal moment during the '06 title chase.

In contrast, Illien said Raikkonen's McLaren successor and back to back world champion Alonso is just as quick but a 'much more delicate' driver, despite the Spaniard's famously aggressive steering style.

*cough*

[monza gorilla 1]

Ha ha! Mike will be pleased to read that!

[BradSpeedMan 6]

*cough*

source

*cough*

Lets look at another article by Mario Illien.....

******

Mario Illien aims fire at Montoya

Fri 13 Jan, 8:58 AM

Kimi Raikkonen is better than twice world champion Mika Hakkinen. 2007 McLaren driver Fernando Alonso is 'truly an exceptional driver'.

Mercedes-Benz engine chief Mario Illien, however, did not use the same sort of superlatives for the other racer in silver overalls - Juan Pablo Montoya.

[ykickamoocow 0]

Kimi Raikkonen is better than twice world champion Mika Hakkinen.

I remember reading a article awhile ago from Coulthard where he said that Hakkinen was faster than Raikkonen and he is one of the best people to know as Coulthard was a teammate to both men.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

I remember reading a article awhile ago from Coulthard where he said that Hakkinen was faster than Raikkonen and he is one of the best people to know as Coulthard was a teammate to both men.

Coulthard was referring looking at Mika's telemetry(2003 under correction), saying how astounded he was a Mika's pace. About 2 years later, Mr Mario claims in 2005 Kimi is better than Mika. Now all off a sudden he claims Raikkonen is all aggressive. But if Coulthard was so blown away by Mika and Mr Mario claims Kimi is better, how good is Kimi really??? We await and see this year.....

[Player(1) 0]

Better is a rather general word to use comparing the driver which leaves it open interpretation that can swing either way of the arguement.

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Better is a rather general word to use comparing the driver which leaves it open interpretation that can swing either way of the arguement.

It's up to you if you want to be idiotic in that assessment

Better as in a better driver, nothing else...

[Jem of the Shire 0]

Well, off the top of my head, he ran far too close to Alonso in Monaco after knowing that his car had heat-shield problems. A smarter driver would have backed off a bit to get some clean air into his car and brought that car home in 2nd. This isn't an engine failure, but it still qualifies under my argument that Kimi has very little mechanical sympathy.

hey i thought we agreed to end this!!

[kimifan2001 0]

I agree with your prediction. I hope that 2007 will be the year that Kimi Raikkonen finally has a car that is BOTH reliable and fast. I'm confident that he'll outshine Felipe Massa. Last year Massa had some great races, but he also had some cold ones. Go Kimi!!

Kimi Raikkonen fan blog: http://kimifanblog.blogspot.com/

[Autumnpuma 0]

hey i thought we agreed to end this!!

Look back at your post. You asked a question and I answered it. You don't have to agree with the answer, however.