Raikkonen threatens to skip final races

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 11/01/2013 at 17:58 • Filed to: f1

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Kimi Raikkonen has threatened not to turn up to the final two races of the season if an agreement over his missing payments is not stuck to for the rest of the season.

Raikkonen did not show in the paddock on Thursday and said he only arrived on Friday when he reached an agreement with the team over his pay. He will take part in this weekend's race but said he would reconsider the final two grands prix of 2013 if the team does not stick to its side of the deal.

Asked if he would consider hold the threat over the team, he said: "Yeah, for sure. I enjoy racing and I enjoy driving but there's a big part of it that's business and sometimes when that's not dealt with like it should be we end up in unfortunate situations. You have to put the line somewhere and if it goes over that it is not really my fault anymore."

Tensions between team and driver peaked at last weekend's Indian Grand Prix when the pit wall used colourful language to tell him to move aside and let team-mate Romain Grosjean through. But Raikkonen claims the real issue is that he has not been paid all year.

"It's a small part of it and those things shouldn't happen, but unfortunately those things happened, but that's not really the issue," he said. "It's the other stuff and all the things together in the end. It's easy to say that's the reason, but it's not that.

"Everybody has their own view and own ideas of everything and sometimes it's not very nice when you hear that you don't have the interest of the team. Then you've been paid zero Euro the whole year so it kind of doesn't put you in the best place. But that's the way it goes and hopefully we've found an understanding on both sides as to how we should deal with the situation right now and fix the issues."

Lotus team principal said the issue was being discussed between Raikkonen and team owner Gerard Lopez.

"There are discussions between Gerard and Kimi and it obviously involves our parent company and shareholders," he said. "Kimi has some emotions, yes. He's not an Iceman like we all believe he is. He's a normal guy."

Raikkonen is due to leave Lotus for Ferrari at the end of the season.

via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Team6.1 > ttyymmnn 11/01/2013 at 18:03

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Championship is locked up and Kimi no shows :-( guess I'm done watching F1 until next season...

ttyymmnn > Team6.1 11/01/2013 at 18:06

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Be sure to come back for the Kimi/Fernando show next year. That should be interesting. Ferrari have gone all in on drivers, let's hope they do the same with the car.

FireSpittingV12 > ttyymmnn 11/01/2013 at 18:08

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This season has no point anymore....but its still fun to watch.

dogisbadob > ttyymmnn 11/01/2013 at 18:08

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The team should just drop him and get someone that will work for the lower pay.

Sorry, but professional athletes are overpaid. And don't give me that line about hard work and shit, because people work hard like that for MUCH less!

Get someone that'll work for "only" $200000 a season

Victorious Secret > ttyymmnn 11/01/2013 at 18:17

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Oh fuck him.

Give me a weekend of training and pay me 8 dollars an hour. I'll drive.

ESSSIX GmbH - Accountant/Wagon Thumper > dogisbadob 11/01/2013 at 18:20

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For any other sport I'd agree...but with the effort these guys put out every second they're out on the track....a full hour, If one could even manage that, would probably put any of us in the hospital. Read this it might help you change your tune. Keep in mind dying is quite easy when you're driving that hard, the smallest miscalculation and boom tire wall. Or a trailer , were this baseball, or football etc..then I'm on that bandwagon! Less pay more work!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

The man in the iron mask > ttyymmnn 11/01/2013 at 18:29

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lotus humor

wacopalypsenow > Victorious Secret 11/01/2013 at 18:46

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I love Kimi....but I'd do it for $7.25 /hour

davedave1111 > dogisbadob 11/01/2013 at 18:58

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Why are you on the backs of professional sportsmen, but not other professional entertainers? They earn far less than cretins like Bieber.

Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) > dogisbadob 11/01/2013 at 19:09

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Sports exist for entertainment, and if you want entertainment, you better have the money for it. There's a high demand for entertainment and it won't drop any time soon.

Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents > ttyymmnn 11/01/2013 at 19:13

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Yes, the argument is that F1 drivers along with other sports people get too much money. Also considering that half the grid is either not paid or they bring in money, this does seem to make Kimi's position seem churlish. But at the end of the day, it is an agreement and Lotus has to pay up. And I think Kimi is still being a gentleman and understands the team's position wrt finances and comments from within the team and elsewhere about his motivation after the Ferrari news came out hurt him. But still fuck him! :)

On the other hand, Lotus are between a rock and a hard place here. On one hand, they know their car is quick and are fighting for 2nd in the WCC and they know that Kimi will do everything he can to get the team there. On the other hand, if they put Valsecchi in his place and don't pay Kimi, will they get to 2nd in the WCC? Mercedes are quite quick this weekend and if Lewis gets P2/3 in qualy and Rosberg ends up 4/5/6 then it could be a tough fight these last few races. Decisions, decisions. I for one would love to see Davide get a race. Poor guy wins GP2 and then has to hang around the paddock with any racing. And by the looks of it, isn't in the running for any seat next year either.

Tim (Fractal Footwork) > Victorious Secret 11/01/2013 at 19:32

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And I'll be your race engineer for food stamps.

nobody > dogisbadob 11/01/2013 at 19:57

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I'm pretty sure making $0 is getting underpaid for every profession.

dogisbadob > nobody 11/01/2013 at 20:06

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The article made it sound like he already got more than $0 this season.

dogisbadob > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) 11/01/2013 at 20:06

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There is also a high supply as well.

dogisbadob > davedave1111 11/01/2013 at 20:09

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Oh I agree with you!! But this article was about sports, and also people will try to argue about the intense physical demands not present, or at least not as much, in other celebrities' jobs.

Also, the sports organizations have been able to bribe Congress into making them tax-exempt non-profits (although MLB gave this up in 2007); the record labels did not.

nobody > dogisbadob 11/01/2013 at 20:09

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Kimi said he hasn't been paid a single Euro all season.

dogisbadob > ESSSIX GmbH - Accountant/Wagon Thumper 11/01/2013 at 20:13

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Already read them, and I wasn't comparing them to other professional sports; I was comparing them to low-wage highly-demanding essential jobs like manual labor, manufacturing, construction, etc.

Does F1 have tax-exempt "non profit" status too?

dogisbadob > nobody 11/01/2013 at 20:14

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That's different.

Victorious Secret > davedave1111 11/01/2013 at 20:17

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At least F1 drivers get put through hell for it.

Also, dog dismissed my original comment for calling him out on his BS. But I guess thats how it works.

Victorious Secret > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) 11/01/2013 at 20:17

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Its why athletes make so much, some deserve it more than others. I'd say F1 drivers deserve it the most cause sure as shit not anyone can just get behind ANY car and go competitive much less in a F1 car.

Victorious Secret > dogisbadob 11/01/2013 at 20:20

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What the hell do those jobs have to do with this?

If you're such a bleeding heart man for people in such jobs, donate your own wages to them.

Don't complain that the economy and entertainment divisions ensure that these guys get paid mad money.

Oh wait, you're just jealous. Only other explanation.

davedave1111 > Victorious Secret 11/01/2013 at 20:21

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His response to me doesn't make much sense in light of his original comment.

Victorious Secret > Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents 11/01/2013 at 20:21

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The question of too much money is a question of supply and demand. Nothing more and nothing less.

F1 drivers do something NONE of us can, and we pay them to watch them do what they can.

Unless commentors like doglsbadob are secretly competitive F1 drivers who can handle the punishment a F1 car throws your way. Easy is far from what you call it.

Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) > dogisbadob 11/01/2013 at 20:22

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Not in relation to the amount of demand, I don't think so.

Victorious Secret > davedave1111 11/01/2013 at 20:24

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Overpaid is something that only the market determines.

Not everyone can drive an F1 car, we pay someone to watch them do it for entertainment. Plain and simple.

F1 cars are not easy to drive, the stresses put on a drivers body are worse than Olympic training; yea if there was a profession that could ask for a lot of money based on the market, F1 drivers can go ahead and demand whatever the hell they want for what they do and clearly we pay for it.

Some people can't understand that comment, and I don't understand how manual labor jobs or construction jobs have anything to do with it. Not at all. Seems like bleeding heart bullshit being brought into something completely unrelated to the issue at hand.

dogisbadob > Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) 11/01/2013 at 20:27

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If that was true, sites like YT wouldn't be profitable!

dogisbadob > Victorious Secret 11/01/2013 at 20:28

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They're physically demanding jobs as well but don't pay as much. That simple.

Unfortunately hard work isn't sufficient. I'm not saying it's not necessary , just not sufficient.

Victorious Secret > dogisbadob 11/01/2013 at 20:30

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I didn't say they aren't physically demanding.

A F1 driver can do a construction workers job. A construction worker can't do an F1 drivers job. That isn't bias, thats just a fact.

Are you that unaware of what these guys go through to drive these cars?

ESSSIX GmbH - Accountant/Wagon Thumper > dogisbadob 11/01/2013 at 20:33

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Ah, then I completely agree, that's problem society in general. Teachers should get yankee money, and yankees should get McDonalds money. But I try not to talk to loudly else my socialist opinions will turn people off.

King Ginger, not writing for Business Insider > ttyymmnn 11/01/2013 at 20:38

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Blunion05 drives a pink S2000 (USER WAS BANNED FOR THIS POST) > dogisbadob 11/01/2013 at 20:46

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I believe Youtube is profitable because there is, once more, a high demand for entertainment. It doesn't even matter what kind of entertainment. It just has to be amusing and/or intriguing.

Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents > Victorious Secret 11/02/2013 at 13:34

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Yep. They are paid since they bring in revenue.

McSchmalex > Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents 11/10/2013 at 10:39

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"Also considering that half the grid is either not paid or they bring in money, this does seem to make Kimi's position seem churlish."

So wait, there are F1 drivers who are not paid at all?