Raikkonen’s demands could see Heidfeld at McLaren
November 8, 2009 by Negative Camber
Filed under F1B Op-Ed, Negative Camber, People & Events, Top Story
I was perusing Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport (actually translating through a suspect translation service) and discovered that there is a sentiment that could be pervasive around the offices of Germany’s leading automobile magazine. They were thinking, out loud, that if the rumored Kimi Raikkonen-to-McLaren deal isn’t sorted quickly, Nick Heidfeld could find himself “coming home” in a manner of speaking.
You’ll recall that Heidfeld was a McLaren-Mercedes test driver in 1998 and won the F3000 title for the McLaren Junior team. You may also recall that McLaren chose Sauber teammate Kimi Raikkonen over Heidfeld for the retired Mika hakkinen’s seat in 2001. I was incandescent at the time and couldn’t understand the decision (in hindsight I have been vindicated for my unnatural defense of Heidfeld) yet the Raikkonen/Heidfeld saga may just occur once again.
Apparently Raikkonen is being bullish on his salary demands. McLaren, it is rumored, is offering a low-ball figure as they know Ferrari have just handed the sacked driver a wad of cash and they figure this, coupled with their offer, would make a tidy sum and salary on par with what he is used to. That theory is apparently not going over well with Raikkonen’s management.
To add to the rumor mill, Toyota has just announced its immediate departure form the sport and conventional wisdom would say that the former BMW, now Qadbak, team will inherit the grid position vacated by the Japanese manufacturer. Should that happen, it is likely they will want to retain the services of Heidfeld as they have already lost Robert Kubica to Renault for 2010. Having a veteran in the team when making such a large transition (in ownership) seems favorable by anyone’s measure and one might assume that Heidfeld knows where all the bodies are buried.
Knowing this is the case, will McLaren continue to haggle with the Raikkonen handlers or take an option for Heidfeld as a good veteran to have with Lewis Hamilton? The McLaren offer is a crafty play on “total salary”. It has been rumored that Ferrari have offered $10M to Raikkonen if he joins a team for 2010. But it could be $17M if he would choose to sit our for the 2010 season. McLaren have taken the $10M sum and added $5M in additional monies to come to a grand salary of $15M.
Raikkonen’s handlers suggest that the Ferrari payment is not part of a total salary package and it is to be treated as additional monies outside the current salary negotiation. Effectively it is off the table and not an option to include when discussing total salary for 2010.
When thinking over the details of the haggling for Raikkonen, it becomes clear that Heidfeld would be considerably less, more of an asset as a car developer, more of a team player for Hamilton, a better number two driver than outgoing Heikki Kovalainen and a driver that could be a long-term prospect for consistency and results (aka, David Coulthard). All this at a fraction of what the interminably listless Raikkonen would cost. Oh, and Heidfeld is German which should make engine supplier Mercedes happy (which, if you believe rumors, are nonplussed about the prospect of a returning Raikkonen).
But all of this is supposition, theorem and rumors. The best machinations from sports writers idling away behind their desks with little else to report on after the shelling we received from the Bridgestone and Toyota announcements last week. There is no doubt in my mind that when Raikkonen is on, he is as strong a driver as I have ever seen. The real trial in that statement is getting him on song and invested in what is happening. It is part of his character.
Raikkonen needs to be in F1 and F1 needs him. He galvanizes people without really doing or saying anything. His off-track antics are the only clue we have that the Finnish star is actually a living, laughing human being and yet he leaves many speechless without any grand speeches. However even admitting that Raikkonen is one of the best, I would take Heidfeld in a minute over Raikkonen at McLaren. Hamilton is number one and what they need is a strong number two who will push Hamilton, without frazzling him, and help him learn car development.
Nick Heidfeld has unfinished business at McLaren and it would be nice to see him come home to show the team what they had seen in him in the first place all those years ago.
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In what way have you been vindicated in your defense of Heidfeld? He is a mid-field filler, a Fisi, a journeyman F1 driver. He will never rise above his current stats and would be a seat filler at McLaren. Better they hire a newbie from the juniors to rack up some points, learn from LH and do his job quietly. Ron used to love hiring two top level drivers and let them duke it out, but he is gone (for now?) and the team operates differently now. LH is the primo, and they need a secundo. Nick is not the man for the job.
I think Mclaren should sign in Adrian Sutil for the next season. although he is not one of those Mclaren or Mercedes drivers, but he shows good potential. And what else would Hamilton like to have if he gets his best friend on the grid as his team mate. And this will eventually help them to Win the titles. Meanwhile,they can have Gary Paffett to drive with Force India to evaluate him, and benefit from the partnership, or Lucas di Grassi should join Force India.
I have been suggesting Adrian to Macca as a good move or perhaps even Glock.
Nick would have been a better long-term option for them in my opinion. Kimi was not a fit at Macca on many levels. LH has made great stride, particularly this year, but could still learn from a guy like Nick. As much as I have been impressed with LH; he still does not possess the car development side of things like a veteran does. That comes with time a tutelage. And Heidfeld beat Raikkonen when he was at Sauber. :)
Glock is good, fast and durable, but not the material of a champion so yes maybe he could be headed to the Silver Arrows(sic), coz Sutil will just cause another 2007 for Mclaren and Alonso will happily smoke up his mild seven in an ING bank wearing a TW Steel (in red of course)
I never understand why people under-estimate Nick as a driver. When teamed with Kimi, Felipe and Mark he has scored more points per race than they have. While teamed with Robert for the last three years he has collectively scored 40% more points than Robert. How many fastest laps of the race has Robert set in his career – I cannot recall any while Nick has set two during 2008. When Nick was teamed with Mark, did Mark get two second places and a pole? No but Nick did. Finally if you examine race pace consistency you will see that Nick is more consistently fast during most races than Robert (see http://f1numbers.wordpress.com/). During the British GP 2008 Nick made two double overtakes in the wet which included both Kimi and Fernando. Over the last three years Nick has scored 140 points, with only Fernando(196), Felipe(213), Kimi (223) and Lewis scoring more, all (except Fernando) have driven in the acknowledged two overall best teams during this three-year period. Add with his consistency (41 consequetive race finishes) it seems he is the perfect driver to back Lewis rather than fight Lewis for the championship next year. He is acknowledged as very good at car development (we saw how BMW Sauber’s completely new car introduced mid year improved during the last few races). I will concede qualifying is not his strength, but he can make his tyres last a good distance and is a driver with one of the highest number of overtakes over the last three years. I find little evidence to suggest a mid-fielder and a lot of evidence to suggest under-rated. Remember each point lost or gained is significant in terms of income generation for the team.
Question is do they need Nick fo develop the car. People could certainly argue thatLewis has made great strides in that area. Nick is German, experienced and a loyal number 2 driver. He will score points and never have the illusion that he should be number one and with all that Kimi is still a better option but with his salary demands I can see Nick being a logical second choice. FiFi isn’t going to let Adrian go and the field of junior drivers is limited to say the least
Not only that but with the lack of testing, the role of a driver in on-going, actual “development” of the cars has been minimalized. As I understand it, even more of the car development is being done by the engineers and their computers. There are only a few off-season testing sessions and once the season starts most of the driver input has to do with “car setup” for that driver for that specific race.
I actually agree with Kimi’s handlers that the Ferrari money should have nothing to do with the negotiations at McLaren. They can debate/decide whether or not they want to pay him what he’s asking, but any money Kimi recieved from Ferrari isn’t really any of McLaren’s business. If they wanted to play it that way they should have found a way to make a deal directly with Ferrari for Kimi.
As for Nick going to McLaren, now that is something AntHam will get behind. I like Nick, but he won’t be taking any points away from Lewis.
I was just thinking the same thing. Kimi’s money from Ferrari is because his contract was cut short. Severence pay in otherwords.
Na minha opinião, a McLaren deveria acertar com o Kimi, porque a rival Ferrari, conta hoje com uma dupla de pilotos muito forte, e se a McLaren acerta com Nick, a Ferrari vai ganhar os construtores facil facil, o que seria diferente com o Kimi ao lado de Lewis. A Ferrari poderia ate ganhar, porem não tão facil. Nick e um grande Piloto, porem Kimi e um campeão do mundo, e um piloto a nivel de Lewis, Massa e Alonso.
Luiz – granted, but as we have seen this year, two top class drivers by no means guarantees a constructors championship for the team. I’d be worried for Mclaren with Kimi there, I think Lewis will still think himself “robbed” by Kimi in 2007, and I can’t see much sharing of info (car setup etc) going on with that pairing. I think he would be an expensive mistake, like Alonso was.
For all those who judge Kimi for his salary demands, think of it this way. If you were asked to leave your present job and were getting a severance pay, will the next company that hires you pay you less than what you’re worth because of your severance pay or pay you what you deserve regardless of your severance amount???
Why is it that Raikkonen and/or his management think he is worth so much more than any other World Champion? I think McLaren should do what Toyota & Brawn did and say “sorry too expensive”. Put “Quick Nick” in the car and he will be an assett to the team (and a lot cheaper).
Kimi’s management said a week ago that the agreement situation is not about money and that they will give announcement about Kimi’s plans this week. The German magazine is recirculating an old rumour, initially released by an German journo. I think this “news” is BS.
Does anyone actually know how much he’s asking for? It’s all speculative…and if I recall, Toyota was courting Kimi and not the other way around. All the reports I had seen indicated that Kimi’s people didn’t even enter into discussions with Toyota…not too mention anything about Toyota is moot at this point.
For the show, for thousand of fan, it would be much better having Kimi on the grid next year. It would be a big loss for f1 not having a top driver like him, and having instead an honest nr2 like Nick.
For Nick fans and for him could be a dream the macca seat, but for f1 it would be much better having two top drivers in macca. But at Ron Dennis time, the car was so strong that macca could handle two top driver without risk of losing the championship, now is much different.
Heidfeld in this locical could be a perfect choice, a consistent nr 2 who never beat te king of the team Lewis… i would prefere a youngster, and i also think Lewis now has what it need to do the development, having seen the Macca recovery in second part of the season..
I am so torn on this one. Quick Nick deserves his long-awaited McLaren drive as much as anyone, but I really think Kimi would be a huge loss to the sport.
He will take more away with him (in terms of fans, atmosphere at European races, and character on a pretty lifeless grid) than perhaps any other driver. The only posible exception to that is Mark Webber. The last straight-talking drivers in F1, how I shall miss them both.
No. 2 driver is a two way street. One of the major problems with Hamilton is that he has no interest in helping the No. 2 driver – with tire pressures, set up, anything. The two driver’s mechanics teams are set up at Macca (as you call them) to be in competition… but the No. 2 drivers details are immediately sent over to No. 1 – not visa versa. We heard complaints from Alonso all year long about this (and Kovi hinted at it several times). So, whoever Macca picks as No. 2 that driver have to be content that he will never hear or get improvements from No. 1 (remember the bolt on improvements that Hamilton got but Kovi didn’t?). Does that sound like a Kimi deal to you? Not to me it doesn’t. Nor Sutil either. I think Heidfeld might be the right person, and about the non-talent level Hamilton will be demanding.
And there is another reason Macca will not make a clean driver’s pay offer for Kimi – they cannot be seen to pay him more (a correct fee plus Ferrari’s 10mil) than they pay Hamilton – that would cause a media-perceived change in No. 1 – and there is NO WAY they will allow that (Hamilton or Macca).
I still think “Quick Nick” is the best option, well, for the team anyway, maybe not so much for him as I agree with the comments of peterriva. He did a great job in the BMW last year when the car was good, so, give him a good car. He is probably one of the most under rated drivers on the grid, I find from a lot of conversations that poeple are still so much anti German as they were with Schumi and likewise still with Rosberg they ignore how good a driver is. Nationality has nothing to do with F1 the driver,equipment & teamwork makes the party swing.