The Ice-Man dons his skis as a bright red F1 season beckons

In Ferrari colours, Kimi Räikkönen will go under the Italian microscope

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By Juha Päätalo in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy
     
      Red is the colour of love.
      And no red more so than Ferrari red. In Italy, the Scuderia Rossa, as it is known in these parts, is a sacred matter, as widely worshipped as His Holiness himself.
      When Kimi Räikkönen appears for the first time in the team colours at Ferrari's traditional season-opening photo opportunity in Madonna di Campiglio, the Finnish driver tries to find a suitable gesture to reflect this passion.
      "Buongiorno a tutti", he offers, in perfectly adequate Italian. There is a rustle in the hall, and then the Italians give him a round of applause.
      However, Räikkönen will not have reached quite every heart in the place with his words. And it is hardly any wonder.
     
Ferrari fans' hearts have recently undergone a hard knock. Their greatest hero, Michael Schumacher, has left the Formula One cockpit after eleven years and five World Championship titles.
      A heart that has experienced this much ache and loss in the past couple of months is not going to be ready just yet to cement a new relationship, and particularly not when the possible object of affection is not necessarily famous for his warmth and empathy.
      The first slightly chilly question comes from the audience. "Will Buongiorno be the only words, or are you going to learn Italian?" enquires an Italian journalist.
      "I know some other words in Italian", replies Räikkönen, "But I think that when you are working with Italian people, you pick up words in Italian. I'm not going to go to school to learn it, because that's not why I am here. Of course I have picked up some words when I was in karting in Italy when I was younger, so it is not like I'm starting from zero."
     
Räikkönen's answer might come across as a bit harsh to a sensitive Italian soul, but the majority of his audience mutter fairly contentedly.
      Räikkönen speaks frankly, he seems more relaxed than during his days in the silvery McLaren-Mercedes livery. And says he feels at home with Ferrari.
      "Everyone said that I would have trouble fitting in with Ferrari", he observes. "But when I first went to the factory and for the test, the atmosphere is different, it's very good, more like a family feeling. Even though people are working as hard as they can, doing their best, it is very relaxed and the people are easy to work with, so I was very happy and that's really what I expected and what I heard before, so I only have positive things to say."
     
For all the optimism, Räikkönen is now facing the biggest challenge there is in Formula One, stepping into the boots of Michael Schumacher behind the wheel of the red car.
      "I don't feel any pressure because when I went to McLaren it was a similar situation [Räikkönen followed double World Champion Mika Häkkinen] and it was early in my career. Of course, when you move, teams people are always comparing you to the previous driver, who in this case was Michael, who was also the main guy in Formula One for many years. It's normal that people are expecting and comparing me but I don't feel it, I just do my own things and work on my own way."
      "I think it's going to take a while to get used to how the team works and also how I work so I don't really feel pressure for that. Of course, we need to work together as well as we can. We need to change the way we work together; I am not Michael Schumacher and the team doesn't expect me to be. They know that I work a different way and we just need to find the best and most effective way to work together."
      This is precisely what is causing most anxiety for the Italian tifosi: they know Räikkönen is quick, but they worry that his more laid-back attitude to the job is not as dedicated or 24/7 as Schumacher's.
     
Italian ears have winced at the sound of McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh's words to the effect that Kimi could give the engineers brilliant feedback on the car's handling and performance, but if he did not feel like doing so, he would just head off to his trailer for a nap.
      When this is mixed in with stories about Räikkönen's use of alcohol, the Finn definitely will have his work cut out to win the unswerving confidence of the Italians.
      "I'm not planning to change my way", is Räikkönen's response to the criticisms. He snapped back at the McLaren barbs in front of the assembled journalists.
      "It's been working well enough. It's the way I do things, I don't think that even if I had changed my style, how they wanted to do things, that it would have changed the results, because in the end the problems weren't really [about] how I do my training, or what I do in my private life. At McLaren it was more the car wasn't lasting the race or was not quick enough."
     
Räikkonen's goal at Ferrari is clear enough. He wants to win the drivers' championship title, something that always slipped away at McLaren because of reliability issues.
      For many of his rivals, too, Räikkönen is seen as the favourite to win the crown in his first season with Ferrari.
      "Ferrari know exactly what sort of man they have signed. The equation there will work", is the view of BMW driver Nick Heidfeld, who was Räikkönen's team-mate with Sauber in the 2001 season.
      Räikkönen himself prefers to put his foot on the brake and lower the expectations.
      "It's too early to say yet how it's going to go. I haven't even driven a metre with the car", says the Finn carefully.
     
Kimi Räikkönen will be driving his first tests at the wheel of the 2007 Ferrari towards the end of January, on the Mugello track north of Florence. His team-mate Felipe Massa will carry out the shakedown session on the new model on the private Fiorano circuit early next week.
      "It will be the most exciting moment of the entire winter for me", says Räikkönen. "I know the car is going to be different from the McLaren, but as yet I don't know how quick it will be."
      Räikkonen seems all in all to be very satisfied with his change of employer.
      "I think this red is much warmer than the silver for sure", grins Räikkönen in front of the press in his new Ferrari pullover. "I like the style of the team, with everything. Of course it is a bit special to wear the Ferrari clothing for the first time and the racing suit is new and exciting. It's always nice", he continues, and notches up a couple more important brownie-points in the country that is now coming to terms with life with its new Finnish hero.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 11.1.2007


Links:
  Ferrari World
  Kimi Räikkönen 2007 (opens end Jan. 2007, but Forum active)
  Wrooom F1 Press Ski Meeting (Motorsport.com)

Helsingin Sanomat