Can Kimi Raikkonen become the next world champ at Ferrari?

Answer 1

i doubt it, he is just going to push Ferrari's new car to the limit and blowout every engine again ! (sorry to say that but i used to be a Mclaren Fan) stopped watching F1 cause its already being dominated. BORING ! try watching A1, Cheers

Answer 2

Can Kimi Raikkonen become the next world champ at Ferrari?
Possibly, but it's far too early to speculate. Let's at least wait until the 2007 cars are launched and there is some test mileage on them. Many a great car stumbled between design and the track. This time last year, who would have predicted a barren 2006 season.
Tyres/tires may well be the great equalizer in 2007. True, Ferrari and the other current Bridgestone runners may have a bit of an advantage, however, with a single tyre/tire supplier (Bridgestone) in 2007, we'll see a totally different and probably harder compound and there will be far less tyre/tire testing.
Despite McLaren's recent unproductive season, I don't think Kimi Raikkonen has forgotten how to win races and he is talented enough to be world driving champion, but, even those verbose answers by his supporters won't help him unless he has a great car and a talented Ferrari team supporting him.

Answer 3

"Massa and Raikkonen will fight for the no.1 driver spot ..."

That dispute will end about 30 seconds after Kimi completes his first testing lap in a Ferrari. Massa is good, but let's not get carried away here. He's not on the same level as Kimi, and he's not the guy they're paying to win the world championship.

Raikkonen will be in the hunt for the driver's title next year, but I don't know whether he'll win it. Next season, at this point, feels a little bit like a letdown. Over the last decade or so, we've seen Hakkinen and Schumacher and Alonso go out and take control of the championship, but 2007 seems to be shaping up as a year where it won't be about who wins it, but rather who doesn't lose it.

Kimi and Ferrari will be in contention, but Ferrari is losing a lot of technical personnel and is going to experience huge changes to the way they run the team in the absence of Schumacher, Brawn, and Martinelli. They're also not going to have any real benefit from their relationship with Bridgestone because the new tyre will be far harder than anything they've run in the last 5 years.

McLaren has a good shot as well with Alonso, but the reliability of the chassis and the Mercedes engine is still a big question mark. In addition, whether they choose de la Rosa, Hamilton, or someone else to partner Alonso, he will not have the strong supporting teammate he had in Fisichella for the last two years.

Renault is likely to again have the best techincal package, but Fisichella is not quite on par with Raikkonen and Alonso, and Kovalainen is not going to be ready to contend ... not in 2007, anyway.

Honda could get to the same technical level as the other three, but Button is too inconsistent and Barrichello a bit too far over the hill to really challenge for the driver's championship. The team could be in the hunt for the constructor's title, though.

My guess is Raikkonen wins in a season where Ferrari simply makes fewer mistakes than McLaren and Renault, but it won't be the sort of dominating championship run we've become accustomed to.

Answer 4

No. And here's why:

The restructuring at Ferrari has brought up to the top the person that designed the F2005. Which was a piece of sh**. And because they won't be as motivated as they were in Schumacher's presence, the team will experience a power vacuum. Massa and Raikkonen will fight for the no.1 driver spot, and the last time two Ferrari drivers fought each other it didn't end well.

Answer 5

I think he has the best chance of becoming the next world champion. The Ferrari's are extremely competitive. All cars will switch to Bridgestone next year...which basically means the Ferrari's have gained a further advantage due to the huge amounts of testing and race times both of them have together.

Alonso is no longer with a team that can challenge for the lead from the start. I think Kimi's only real competition is going to come from teammate Felipe Massa.

Answer 6

He has a 3 year contract with Ferrari. He should be able to win a championship in that time, I would think. Will he win it next year? Maybe, maybe not. Massa might. Alonso could. Maybe it will be Fisi. Or Button. Or the other Finnish bloke whose name I have yet to learn how to spell. As Gregnir said, we will all have to wait and see. Testing over the winter may give us a clearer picture, but then in this year's championsip, nobody knew who was going to win until the last couple of races.
Having said that, disregarding luck, weather, and all other possible mishaps and freak accident probabilities, Kimi and his red team do look like they have very good chances of winning, but that's pure speculation.

Answer 7

I am a tifosi of the highest order- so I am well placed to answer this question.

Whereas Kimi is a very different beast than Michael, he will win the world championship in 2007- heres why.

Despite the fact that "the dream team" has either moved on or retired- the core nucleus of the team remains. Aldo Costa, Gilles Simon etc. and all the rest of the team have had years to get used to the idea of their superiors moving on.

The core of Renault remains- the drivers suspect in talent. McLaren have lost the genius of Newey and the noose of Mercedes Benz is tightening- delivery results or else type of deal.

Lets not forget that Ferrari generally lay the ground work for the following years car in the middle of the year. i.e. 2007s car is already designed and more than likely been through a wind tunnel, had a development scheduel drawn up and already started bench testing the engine.

Ferrari will still be on Bridgestones where as our two closest competitors will have to get used to a new brand of tyre. This means redesigning the suspension geometry, getting used to new entry-mid-exit corner characteristics, different wear rates, different, different, different...

It'll be 2001, 2002 and 2004 all over again! i.e. The dominant years.

And if Kimi isn't quick right away (coming from Michelin to Bridgestone), then Massa will be. He's developed massively in 2006- from stupid mistakes in Bahrain to a blinding masterclass race in Brazil.

Massa's manager is Jean Todts son (CEO Ferrari). He knows the Ferrari systems. He knows where all the green buttons are. He's studied directly under Michael for a year and thus as I say, his stock has firmed. He's got Bridgestone experience and, like Michael- takes orders without thinking 'why have they told me to do that?'

(Look for no further proof of Michaels obiedence than Hungary 1998.
"Michael you need 25s in 19 laps."
"Thank you.")

And that was that! Blam! Lap after lap.

But that is the glorious history and we're talking about the future, about Kimi, about the current package.

I think Kimi will bring to my beloved boys at Maranello something that Michael has not thought of. Autonomy.

For years Michael has been there in the trenches with the troops, motivating, asking questions- working to maximise the package, persue the advantage.

Kimi by contrast prefers the teams he drives for to work for themselves and he drives when he's told to. He by definition maximises his own package (himself) so that when the car and he get together- it by design is at its peak.

I think the team will have learnt from the Michael years the confidence to do their own thing.

Renault have a brilliant race car- but Fisi is incapable of putting a run together for anything above a race to the shops, the other Finn is a rookie and unlikely to challenge for the lead much, and McLaren are quick- but only on their day and when they are they usually break down. They'll have Alonso, but if the engine **its itself all over the circuit then its good night Irene!

Schumacher will still be there or thereabouts. Calling the factory, keeping in touch, giving guidance where its wanted. And in time you may see him return to lead the team from the pit wall.

I love my boys and I love my sport- God willing we'll see alot more red in 2007! Enzo will look down with approval, Jean can stop biting his nails, and Kimi might even show some emotion!

Theres always hope!

FORZA FERRARI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Iceman.

Answer 8

I would love to see Massa beat him. There is just something about Kimi that I do not like.

Answer 9

nope, frlepi massa has better chance thn kimin felepi is nt new in ferrari...n til now ferrari team was schumi's team...so kimi will take time to adjust in schum's time

Answer 10

yup, iam100 per cent sure hes gonna thrashh alonso next season with that ferrari