Kimi Raikkonen has been subject to criticism by some Formula 1 pundits who question his position as a Ferrari driver. Former team boss, controversial Flavio Briatore, was among the people to lash out at Raikkonen’s current driving.
Can Someone Still Doubt Kimi Raikkonen’s Speed?
Briatore, like many others, suggested Raikkonen should lose his seat at Ferrari since he looks like a liability in some aspects. The Finn might look uninterested at many moments, but his passion for racing is still noticeable.
The 2007 F1 champion has been linked recently to a return to Sauber in a straight-up trade for Charles Leclerc. Sauber’s boss, Frederic Vasseur, talked about Raikkonen’s probable arrival. He stated that the Finn driver wouldn’t put any pressure inside the team.
“I don’t worry about any pressure. I want to have the best drivers in the car. That is the most important thing for the team, and not sacrifice benefits. It is better to have a world champion in the car than someone who has not won anything,” Vasseur said.
Is Raikkonen’s Performance decreasing? Think again.
The Finnish driver for the Maranello-based Scuderia has six podiums in the 2018 Formula 1 season. Raikkonen has only 40 points less than Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari’s number one) in the World Drivers’ Championship. But he retired twice to Vettel’s one DNF: once due to a mechanical issue and the second time due to the pit disaster in Bahrain.
The Finn has a current streak of four consecutive podiums, the longest for any driver on the grid this year.
In Sunday’s race at Hockenheim, Raikkonen was in first place in the race after taking the lead off Vettel’s hands due to an early pitstop and good pace. But Ferrari did not allow the Finn to maintain his position, although both drivers had the same number of pitstops (like it happened at Monaco last year, but Vettel was in front and was able to win).
Raikkonen finished in third place after Vettel’s disastrous mishap at the end of the race, and he is in third place in the WDC. Raikkonen’s performances in 2018 have been more than reasonable, but his team is not giving him a great chance to succeed.
The Last Word: To those who may think the 38-year-old champion is past his prime, you may take into consideration some team actions and circumstances. Raikkonen looks in 2018 as determined as ever. He’s certainly in a position to compete and stay at Ferrari or go to any competitive car. Raikkonen’s speed should be unquestioned this year.
MAIN PHOTO:
Embed from Getty Images
