I think Kimi could have done way better. From what I could get, he's not doing as many laps as other top driver in the FP, then he struggle in qualification (Grosjean finished ahead of him quite a few times) but does really good in race. If he could be a bit ahead on qualification he could have made far better result and maybe won a race or two.
I think his lazyness and coldness was the main reason he didnt won a race yet. Back at the start of the season Eric Boullier was complaining about the lack of communication between his team and Kimi.
I believe Alonso is the best driver currently and there's no way Kimi could have done what Alonso have done this year in a Ferrari. That's my opinion tho.
Team principal Eric Boullier hailed Raikkonen “exceptional comeback”:
“From the first time he sat in the car this year it was clear he had lost none of his pace or technical feedback and we have been rewarded by a focused and motivated driver all season."
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2012/10/29/raikkonen-remain-lotus-2013/
Clearly Boullier thinks otherwise...
I don't think it's really Raikkonen's fault that he and Lotus hasn't won a race this season really... It's not like Raikkonen has had a luxury of a car that can comfortably win easily (he only has a consistent podium and perhaps by a small margin, a victory contending car at one or two races, that's about it), like lets say the Red Bull recently and Mclaren previously. Besides, we also have to take into account that qualifying has never really been the E20's strength...
People also seem to be misunderstanding his monosyllabic attitude towards the media... Just because he isn't very motivated to express himself to the media, it doesn't necessarily mean that he isn't motivated to race. After all, there's a vast difference from facing the media vs the racing itself.
I think this sums it all up really...
“My hunger for winning is exactly the same as always and I think I’ve shown that I’m capable of fighting for victories. Obviously there have been none so far this year, but we have come close a few times and for sure we’ll keep on trying for as long as it takes to start winning again.” -
Kimi Raikkonen.
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2012/10/29/raikkonen-qualifying-improvement-needed-2013/
Being an alonso fan is so mainstream these days.
Also everyone who's checked Kimi's career knows he has always been one of the very best drivers, and very underestimated this season.
Agreed !
I don't think that Alonso's mainly responsible for the F2012's upturn in performance really (as most seem to claim)... I always thought that it was mostly about innovative and talented engineers, with steady funds for strong, consistent development.
I think it's due to this, and a little bit of extra brought in by Alonso, that Ferrari had always been able to consistently challenge for top 5 slots for every race since the huge Mugello update, while other rivals had inconsistencies in terms of pace.
Just look at Raikkonen, who has been steadily dropping off the pace since Spa, with an obvious lack of funds needed to keep up with development, even though he has never really put a wrong foot in any of these races. Schumacher, often hailed as a driver who develops the car well during unlimited testing days in Ferrari, has never been able to do much to change the Mercedes' obvious lack of pace.
This really shows how driver input is actually overrated, and has not much impact on their relative performance IMO.
, but I still think that he deserves a better seat than a Sauber, he's very talented.
