Since the first cars were driven to the first make shift race tracks across the globe the adage that there are drivers and then there are racers has existed. However, after the Grand Prix of Hungary, there is an addition to that – there is Kimi Raikkonen.
Raikkonen, otherwise known as the Iceman, the Flying Finn, and a few other names, is a rare character indeed. He seems to be cut from the mold of a Formula 1 era long since gone. While some may take this as a reference to his reputation as a partier, it is in fact more a reference to his racing style than anything. Raikkonen drives like a man possessed no matter if he is behind the wheel of an F1 car, in a go kart, or on a dirt bike, all of which he drives as much as is humanly possible. He pulls, pushes, and wrestles more from a car than anyone else imagined was there, as evidenced by his last few races when he has managed decent finishes despite troubles with both the car and the strategy. Raikkonen’s talent lies in things which cannot be taught, but that either exist in a person or don’t. He is the possessor of a true drive to race, racing anything and everything he can whenever he can. He is also the possessor of two things just as priceless as his need to race and just as rare, honesty and integrity. Raikkonen tells it like it is when he is interviewed, giving short, sometimes blatantly honest answers, that are always accurate and never boring. Raikkonen is a racer and then some.
This weekend Raikkonen showed, once again, that he is, in fact, a true racer. During qualifying Ferrari took a gamble, deciding not to send Raikkonen out again, instead keeping him in, confident he had turned a fast enough lap to get him a good position. No such luck. The Flying Finn ended up in P16 and would indeed need wings if he planned on getting to the front of the pack. Raikkonen, when questioned about the decision, answered with his trademark honesty explaining they were a team and sometimes mistakes were made. They would learn from it. That was all he said and all he needed to say.
By race time, storm clouds hung ominously overhead, causing concerned and calculating gazes to turn heaven ward. Rain did indeed begin to fall, as did race strategies, and teams hustled to switch plans, tires, and set ups to accommodate the changing weather. Spins, crashes, and off road excursions seemed to be more the rule than the exception, with Marcus Ericsson, Romain Grosjean, Sergio Perez, and even World Champions Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton taking a spin on various parts of the circuit. Safety cars were deployed with an admirable consistency and again threw obstacles into the way of carefully laid out strategies. Through all of this, however, Raikkonen worked his way steadily up the field in his customary true grit manner. No complaining or whining simply get the job done. He seemed more comfortable and infinitely faster on the soft than the medium tires and brought his Prancing Horse all the way up to third before tire wear forced him into the pits.
When Raikkonen came out of the pits, his team mate, Fernando Alonso was busy charging his way to the front. Raikkonen stepped on it and his car shot forward, determined to beat the cars already on the track. He chased down Massa, who was in sixth at the time, hunting the Brazilian with unwavering focus. A brief battle with Vettel around a set of corners found the World Champion’s wheels in the dirt and Raikkonen back in the hunt for Massa, his sheer determination driving both him and his car despite rapidly deteriorating tires.
The finish of the race came in a flourish as Ricciardo passed Alonso, who was able to stretch his tires and hold off a hard charging Lewis Hamilton for second. It could be said that many drivers had a good race and drove well. Indeed, Alonso himself had an admirable drive that was as perfect to watch as the most glorious of symphony is to listen to. It was Raikkonen, however, that came from the back and continued to fight a temperamental car throughout the race, making sure to bring it home in the points to achieve his best result of the season so far. Raikkonen who has battled all season with his car and yet remained true to his team and himself. Raikkonen who makes it fun to be a race fan.
There is no doubt the Grand Prix of Hungary was a brilliant race to watch. The racing was fast paced and the lead changes kept fans on the edge of their seats. The characters involved were no less spectacular. For in this race there were drivers, who complained incessantly about team mates, crashed into everything, and were more concerned about branding themselves than driving their cars. There were also a few real racers, driving their cars for all they were worth, pulling every last drop of engineering capability out of them. Then, of course, there was Raikkonen, hard charging, tenacious, and tremendous to the end.
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