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Formula One
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CART
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IRL
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NHRA
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| Wednesday, January 24 |
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| Young driver has had few starts Reuters | |||
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HINWIL, Switzerland -- Sauber is 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 Heidfield, 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. The car Freshly reinforced by a sponsorship deal with Swiss bank Credit Suisse, Sauber is building on a long-standing engine deal with world champions Ferrari and Bridgestone tires. "The C20 has shown its potential at the rollout in Fiorano (Ferrari's test track) and the test in Jerez," Sauber said. "It was ready in good time to enable us to accumulate high test mileage before the start of the season in Melbourne in March. We are convinced that the C20 will be competitive and reliable," he said. The C20 differs from its predecessor C19 due to changes in the regulations concerning safety and increased aerodynamics. The front wing is mounted higher. The aerodynamics aim to develop greater downforce without generating greater drag, which is the enemy of speed. Crucial weight savings have been obtained despite the added weight from the new chassis regulations. The car has more carbon fibre and Kevlar parts to meet side impact test and rollover tests. The C20 has fewer parts than its predecessor. "Reduced weight will allow us to run more ballast and to position it in a wider range of locations," said technical director Willy Rampf. "This will be particularly important in 2001 as the arrival of Michelin as a challenger to Bridgestone will spark serious tire competition, " he said. Sauber are no longer the only team besides Ferrari to use the Italian team's engines. The Prost team will also be running similar engines, inviting interesting comparisons. | |
ALSO SEE BAR boss fears for Raikkonen F-1 debut | |
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