Kimi can take F1 title, says Ecclestone

Michael Schumacher may enter the 2004 season as the most successful driver in the history of Formula One, but the sport’s supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, has predicted the German will meet his match this year in Kimi Raikonnen.

Schumacher came through one of the most open seasons of recent times to win a record-breaking sixth world title last year and has vowed the hunger for success still burns fiercely.

While Ecclestone is not concerned another Schumacher title triumph would be harmful to the sport, he believes Raikkonen has what it takes to follow in the footsteps of former Finnish champion Mika Hakkinen.

“I don’t think a new champion would necessarily be good for the sport. I think what Schumacher has done has been very good for us,” said Ecclestone on the eve of the new season.

“It’s good to have a superstar in any sport; people look up to a superstar. When somebody says Schumacher they think of Formula One.

“Having said that, I think Michael is going to have to struggle to win the championship this year, and I think we are going to have a very, very, very close championship.

“My dollar, for what it’s worth, I think I’d back Kimi Raikkonen.”

Schumacher insisted his determination to succeed in the forthcoming season, which starts on Sunday in Melbourne, remains undimmed despite his unparalleled successes.

“For me it is simple. I love what I do and I have never wanted to do anything else,” Schumacher told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

“I take extreme pleasure from it, I have success, I work with friends who are in a similar situation to myself and I also get paid for it.

“How could one not be motivated, given the circumstances? I do not understand why it is so hard for people to understand.

“If I am not at the top then I will fight to get there again. It is crucial for me that I am in a position to challenge for the title.

“I have never had experience with motivation coaches as I have never had problems motivating myself.”

Which is fortunate for the German given the challenge for his title is expected to be fierce and its defence will require every ounce of focus and determination the 35-year-old can muster.

With the new rules implemented at the beginning of last season, coupled with the developments made by the likes of McLaren and Williams, Ferrari did not have it all their own way last season.

Eight different drivers won races but beyond the likes of Schumacher, Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya, Ecclestone predicted bright things for drivers in teams unlikely to challenge for constructors’ honours.

“There is Kimi who, as I say, I would put my money on to be the champion; there’s Michael, who is always there. Obviously.

“Montoya is going to be a contender and could also win the championship.

“(Renault’s) Fernando Alonso is the same. There are a lot of guys out there that you would be surprised what will happen with the right circumstances.

“It depends how their cars perform. I’ve never been a Jenson Button supporter, to be honest with you, but it looks like he’s doing a good job now (at BAR).

“Mark Webber (at Jaguar), I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him. It’s very, very difficult to assess somebody like him in the machinery he has been using.

“If he was in a Ferrari, for example, how much better would he be? You ought to know it’s not just the driver.

“Schumacher is good, he motivates the team and he sorts things out properly. We don’t know whether Mark is capable of doing that because he has never had the opportunity. I suspect he may well be able to.”

Webber, as is the way with those in the smaller teams, is resigned to challenging the likes of Toyota and BAR for the “scraps” behind Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and Renault.

It does mean that, with no title aspirations of his own and mediocre hopes of even finishing on the podium, the Australian can speak freely about the forthcoming season.

He would love to see Schumacher claim a seventh title, but agreed with Ecclestone that it could be Raikkonen’s year.

“I hope Michael wins the championship this year, I think to win seven world titles would be amazing, but it’s going to be very, very tough for him,” said the Australian.

“I’m not really expecting to be shaping up to Michael in the championships as yet.

“I want him to win it, but I don’t think he will win it. I think a driver on Michelin tyres will win the championship.

“I think Kimi or a Williams driver – Montoya or Ralf Schumacher – could give it a good run, with Fernando Alonso on the outside.”