Räikkönen explains directly the improved results *SPOILER???*

Interesting but it applies to most drivers. If a car suits you, you feel better driving and probably get satsifactory results. Im happy he is able to adapt to the car this year. Clearly last year he didnt. Too bad because last year the car was capable and competitive through the season.

 

Ermm oh well seems like a little dig at his team there.

Thats if your right with your comment Aqua ..

 

Italians tend to think more with their heart than with their head it seems then.

 

To you maybe.

 

It's a comment will never really know if true.

 

Let's see it in another way, now that Massa is gone, they are adapting the car to him, and that shows results..

Last year the car was suited for Massa (only in ferrari they know why) so Kimi has had a hard time to drive it always finishing crashing 'cause driving to the limit..doesn't that remember you Hamilton's this sunday ? pushing so hard to the limit that he finished in the wall...

 

I'm amazed that Ferrari put him in a situation where he had to adapt to the car at all. If they got rid of Shumi to bring him on and agreed to pay him a fortune, why wouldn't they design the car around him and let Massa have to adapt to it?

 

As I said in another thread, Ferrari too often think with their heart more than their head. It wasn't this way in the Schu/Brawn/Todt era.

 

That seems to be the opposite of what Kimi was saying -- they had the adapt the car to him.

 

And that's the exact reason why I don't think he's as spectacular a driver as some on this forum make him out to be. Don't get me wrong he's great, but unless the car fits him perfectly he doesn't drive it as well as he should/could. When the car is working the man is about as fast as it gets, but in F1 the greatest of the greats are defined by what they do when the car isn't that hot IMO.

 

Yeah, thanks for the comment,
that's apply to all the drivers.

 

ERrr...Read the thread.

Ferrari was more focussing on Massa for whatever reason. Now that he has the team behind him his winning races and getting podiums.

He just said the car is rubbish (yesterday), he drives it to the limit every single lap of the race and he's disappointed that even by pushing every lap, he still finishes behind the quickest cars so far back.

Even Mclaren themselves said (and coulthard, who isn't a big fan of him) that the man is insanely good in a car. He gets in, puts down a fast lap, tells the engineers what needs changing, goes to sleep, gets in the car again, put down the fastest lap and talk to his engineers again.

Don't forget this man was only 2 points away from equaling on points with Micheal Schumacher, due to the FIA not knowing if he should have won or not in brazil (2003, red flagged race). He got 2nd instead and lost his 2 points (all this with a greatly inferior car).

Kimi is the best in the current field.

 

Let's just go back to 2007. Kimi won the first race. After that he didn't do very well, except for France and Britain, and finally regained his form towards the end of the season.
In 2008 again he started well and even kept the momentum going for the first few race but then he just faded away.

Compare this to Massa's 2007 and 2008 seasons.

Massa didn't start well in 2007 but made up for it in the following few races. Then he ran into some bad luck and finally after Monza had to play the #2 part to Kimi and did so without complaint.
So the 2008 began with Kimi as champion and on a high. Massa's season start was bad but he regained form a few races later and was in contention for the title despite some bad luck and team screw ups.

If one puts these two driver's seasons together I can't imagine why anyone would believe that Ferrari didn't support Kimi 100%. It's also hard to defend that Kimi didn't adapt well to the car or that Ferrari favored Massa by designing the car for him. Why would they if Kimi was their champion? They also pay Kimi massively more than Massa.

Save for the team's obvious screw ups the drivers have only to blame themselves. That includes Kimi. If it's true that the team doesn't do enough for him why should it be the team's fault only? It's a tight relationship that needs 100% commitment from both sides. Ferrari chose Kimi. If he'd do his part in the relationship there'd be no reason for the team to support him less than 100%.

 

ok:

Australia. He wins
Malaysia. 3rd, behind two mclarens, ahead of Massa
Bahrain, 3rd, first time behind Massa, by 10 seconds
Spain. Car had electronic failure
Monaco, his first mistake of the season when he hit the barrier in quali. Finishes 8th
Canada. After kubica's crash, there was cement placed on the track. Kimi skidded on that but manages 5th (race could have been interrupted by the red flag)
rest of the season he finishes on the podium constantly, with the exception of germany when his car once again broke down (he had pole though)

So I don't know where your constant need to put raikkonen down comes from.

Perhaps you just dislike him...like a lot and feel the need to put him down for the 2 mistakes he made over the whole season.

 

+1000!!

It seems only the Shumassa fans would disagree...gee, I wonder why?

 

isin't it obvious? Kimi doesn't kiss the teams @ss and do everything to make sure the team likes him...like Massa does. Oh ya, and Massa jumps on the podium just like his idol MS did...Kimi doesn't.

 

HAHA ain't that the truth!

Although I must say I do like Massa and his spirit. He and Barrichello are the nicest guys in F1.

Of all the drivers i'm sure that Kimi is the only one who doesn't suffer from the "LA syndrome". i.e. He's not a pretentious cockbag.

 

Either way,he drove an awesome race.Even if luck did play a huge role in the final result.

 

There have always been drivers who adapted themselves to suit whatever car they drove. This has not always been a good thing in that it can hide deficiencies that otherwise would have been rectified.
I can't speak to the internal politics as to car set up at Ferrari and I don't know that anyone here can do more than speculate on that issue. But isn't that what the internet is for

 

Couldn't agree more. I love Massa and Rubin's attitude. Very nice guys...except you know how the saying goes, nice guys finish...well, you know
They're both great #2's...but I think Rubins is a better driver. Hope he wins this year. He deserves it.

 

well of course there have been drivers who had to adapt to the car...

But its so close this season, and has been (especially for the top 2/3 teams) since after 2004. You can barely tell anymore. Kimi is driving at the very limit the car is capable of now. This is all the car can do...whilst other teams are continuing developing the car, Ferrari hasn't done so since silverstone (i think) and people still complain.

 

I was taking a longer historical view. Your comments on this season's car seem accurate.