There may be a little expectations shuffling going on with Red Bull’s junior rally team.
In the team’s latest release, it suggests that Kimi Raikkonen “is aiming firmly to get to the finish of the Jordan Rally.”
Kimi hasn’t finished either of the first two rallys of the WRC calendar without incident, although he has shown moments of quickness that are near what the top drivers are pedaling.
Here’s more from Red Bull:
Red Bull Rally Juniors Kimi Räikkönen/Kaj Lindström will be at the wheel of the two Citroën C4 WRCs, and their objective will be to gain as much experience as possible on a distinctly unusual event.
[snip]
Following on from their first gravel rally with the C4 WRC in Mexico, Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström continued getting to grips with the car at a test session in the south of France. “I’m learning more with every kilometre,†said Räikkönen.
“But what I need most is more experience, and these test kilometres are allowing me to go through the wide range of set-up options that the team has come up with.â€
The 2007 Formula 1 World Champion is aiming firmly to get to the finish of the Jordan Rally. “I’m still lacking kilometres in rally conditions,†he concluded.
“On an event that is as specialised as this one, it’s vital to cover all the stages. I still need to get used to the Citroën C4 WRC on gravel and find a way of driving that suits my style. We’re going to see what the gap is between myself and the frontrunners at the start of the rally and then just try to reduce it bit by bit.â€
WRC, as we’ve noted here at F1B, has gotten a PR boost from Raikkonen’s joining the series. But that interest is sure to wane if Kimi doesn’t start finishing rallys and, even better, start being competitive.
That’s just the way it works.
The Jordan Rally begins next Wednesday.
