Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
BAHRAIN’S eager F1 fans will be delighted to hear that Ferrari’s former Flying Finn, Kimi Raikkonen, has confirmed his return to the sport with Lotus Renault, writes Abu George.
So what will he bring to the team? Kimi has undoubted pedigree having hit the top for five seasons from 2003. He is also a throw-back to the swashbuckling racing drivers of the 1960s as he is prone to ‘party hard’! Indeed, his compatriot, Heikki Kovalainen, on hearing the news, quipped that the circuit would now enjoy ‘more raucous post-race celebrations’. Of course, this will attract the media and therefore the sponsors.
However, what will he contribute to the team? With the laid-back attitude comes an apparent unwillingness to work closely with the race engineers, analysing the data, seeking every minor improvement in performance possible. By continuation this is unlikely to help foster a good team spirit.
In addition there are new question marks over his level of performance and desire.
Raikkonen has spent the last two seasons rallying, competing in the middle of the pack while surviving unscathed from a number of spectacular crashes. Indeed, even before he joined the World Rally Championship there had been a dip in results which meant that, on leaving Ferrari following the inaugural Abu Dhabi GP, he was unable to secure a drive with another top team which precipitated his switch of formats. How long will his ‘drive’ last? Just look across the pits at his former team-mate, Michael Schumacher for an indicator!
So, while he will receive plenty of publicity I don’t expect him to be standing on too many podiums, meaning he can retire to the party zone that much faster!
