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| Tuesday, January 30 |
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| Peers against Raikkonen racing Reuters | |||
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LONDON -- Whatever happens to Kimi
Raikkonen in the next few months, Formula One pundits have their
options fully covered.
The 21-year-old Finn will start the season with the world
wondering what to make of a man described as both a future
champion and an accident waiting to happen.
The Sauber driver has competed in just 23 single-seater car
races and comes straight from British Formula Renault, a quiet
backwater far from the media frenzy he can expect when the
season starts in Australia on March 4.
A year ago, few fans knew he existed and the talk was all of
20-year-old Jenson Button making his sensational arrival at
Williams from British Formula Three.
Before Raikkonen, another man with a Finnish first name --
Italian Jarno Trulli -- made his debut in 1997 with even less
preparation after joining Minardi at the last moment.
If their experiences are anything to go by, Raikkonen can
expect a tough baptism in Melbourne.
"Before my first race in Australia I did only 300 kilometers
in (a) Formula One (car) which is nothing, no experience,"
recalled Trulli at his Jordan team's Silverstone headquarters.
Afraid "So I was really afraid ... And it was somewhat dangerous I must say because I was not ready yet for Formula One. I had to learn during the race weekends step by step." And that is what he did, finishing ninth in his debut race and, after being snapped up by Prost as a replacement for the injured Frenchman Olivier Panis, making a huge impression by leading the Austrian Grand Prix until the halfway point. With some commentators wondering who he was, Trulli then ran second until his engine blew 12 laps from the end. Raikkonen has put in far more kilometers in testing than Trulli ever had the chance to do and has a high profile after a winter controversy over whether or not he should get a super-license. "I am aware that everyone will be watching me," the Finn said last week. "It is up to me at the beginning to prove I belong to Formula One." Team boss Peter Sauber admits his man is a calculated risk but says the risk is not very great. "When I see how cool Kimi is approaching Formula One racing, I do not think there is a danger," he said. "From the moment he first sat in one of our cars in Mugello in September last year, Kimi showed himself to be a most unusual young man. He did not put a wheel wrong and managed to set highly impressive lap times. Expectations "We know that it will take Kimi time to find his feet in F1 once the racing starts but our expectations of his long-term potential are very high." Ferrari's world champion Michael Schumacher has also said recently that Raikkonen has what it takes to be a world champion one day. Others are more concerned about now rather than later, however. "Even though I believe that Raikkonen is a talented driver, I still don't believe that he's done enough driving to be sitting in an F1 car," said BAR boss Craig Pollock. "The problem is his lack of experience potentially causing a situation that could be dangerous." Button elicited similar reactions last season ahead of his debut in Melbourne and it was not long before he forced the pundits to eat their words. Former world champions Jackie Stewart and Jody Scheckter both pronounced against him as did former F1 driver Martin Brundle, who declared that his compatriot should not be on the starting grid. "I hope he can handle it because if he can't he will hurt himself or somebody else," warned Finnish driver Mika Salo, Raikkonen's predecessor at Sauber. Youngest The Briton went on to become the youngest driver to score points in Formula One history and also sensationally outqualified Michael Schumacher at Spa. It is tempting to see Raikkonen as another Button, as Peter Sauber suggested. But while there are similarities, there are also important differences. By the time Button reached Melbourne he had completed a season in British Formula Three, the series that served as the late Ayrton Senna's springboard into grands prix, and had driven three very different Formula One cars. An initial test for McLaren, the reward for winning a young British driver award, was followed by an outing at Prost and then the call from Williams came at the start of 2000. Button told Reuters before Christmas that he had still struggled and felt that Raikkonen, despite having a few more months' notice to get his fitness level up, would be no different. "Everyone steps up another gear (in qualifying)," Button warned. "It was a shock to me and I think the first qualifying session is going to be tough for him. "He's quick enough but I had a little bit more experience of racing. I'm sure he's going to be capable, it's just how long it's going to take him really." But Trulli, whatever reservations he might have, said Raikkonen was right to seize the chance of a lifetime. "As I had a similar situation I don't want to take the responsibility of stopping someone else's career when he is having the chance of his life. It's too important. "I know he is young but just give him a chance." | |
ALSO SEE Sauber: Raikkonen is a calculated risk | |
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