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From GMM
Kimi Raikkonen declined to hit back at Niki Lauda on Friday, despite the F1 legend calling him a "wimp".
Told that triple world champion and Mercedes chairman Lauda has been talking about him, Raikkonen said at the Nurburgring: "Huh? To me? He (Lauda) hasn't spoken to me."
The 2007 world champion was then told by the interviewer for Tagesspiegel newspaper that Lauda had said ignoring Red Bull's offer of a 2014 seat would make him a "wimp".
"I don't care what he says," said the Finn. "He likes to talk a lot and that doesn't concern me. He's not being nasty, I know him well enough to know what he's thinking."
The 33-year-old insisted he only returned to F1 in 2012 to win again, so the interviewer is curious as to why he would apparently hesitate to join Red Bull -- the dominant team of the past few seasons.
"There are many reasons," answered Raikkonen. "Nothing is as clear as it seems.
"At the moment I have nothing for next year. If there is a decision, I will tell everyone," he added.
Asked if a great car, lots of money, or lots of free time are most important to him, Raikkonen admitted: "Everything. The whole package.
"I've been in a lot of teams and so I know what I want. I'll make the best choice for myself, and if it's wrong and I regret it, at least I made the decision for myself."
Asked if the likely friendly pairing with Sebastian Vettel next year could sway things in Red Bull's favour, Raikkonen insisted: "That doesn't matter. I know what you mean, but having jokes and laughs with friends is not why I'm here."
Kimi Raikkonen declined to hit back at Niki Lauda on Friday, despite the F1 legend calling him a "wimp".
Told that triple world champion and Mercedes chairman Lauda has been talking about him, Raikkonen said at the Nurburgring: "Huh? To me? He (Lauda) hasn't spoken to me."
The 2007 world champion was then told by the interviewer for Tagesspiegel newspaper that Lauda had said ignoring Red Bull's offer of a 2014 seat would make him a "wimp".
"I don't care what he says," said the Finn. "He likes to talk a lot and that doesn't concern me. He's not being nasty, I know him well enough to know what he's thinking."
The 33-year-old insisted he only returned to F1 in 2012 to win again, so the interviewer is curious as to why he would apparently hesitate to join Red Bull -- the dominant team of the past few seasons.
"There are many reasons," answered Raikkonen. "Nothing is as clear as it seems.
"At the moment I have nothing for next year. If there is a decision, I will tell everyone," he added.
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| Photo: WRi2 |
Asked if a great car, lots of money, or lots of free time are most important to him, Raikkonen admitted: "Everything. The whole package.
"I've been in a lot of teams and so I know what I want. I'll make the best choice for myself, and if it's wrong and I regret it, at least I made the decision for myself."
Asked if the likely friendly pairing with Sebastian Vettel next year could sway things in Red Bull's favour, Raikkonen insisted: "That doesn't matter. I know what you mean, but having jokes and laughs with friends is not why I'm here."