Exactly why I was not in favour of his return. Better off with Massa if Kimi is the only choice. Poor LdM lol!
I suspect that its for the same reason that capture traps aren't used. Taking a star driver out of contention is bad for the show.
After the Silverstone's crash Kimi has been testing a special evolution of the F14T appositely for him Raikkonen in gara sui tosaerba a Silverstone - Autosprint
I understand your point, but he only really competed in one race in 94. He didn't get past the first corner in Aida and had the fatal crash in Imola. The car wasn't right to him but it's nothing like Kimi and Vettel's struggles. There simply wasn't enough data to even compare.
Mika and his thoughts on Kimi: Hakkinen: Kimi retirement talk not smart | Planet F1 | Formula One | News, Standings, Results, Features, Video
I think announcing his retirement plans proves my theory that Kimi only returned to Ferrari for the $'s. He returned to Lotus for racing reasons and proved that, but now laughing all the way to the bank ... Pete
If the Kimi-fanbase is to be believed, it is all down to the F14T being fundamentally designed to suit Fernando's drivingstyle, which is the exact opposite to Kimi's drivingstyle. So, is he getting a completely new, tailormade F14T (which would have to be a fundamentally different car than Fernando's car)?
He is 10 races too late lol! I wish him the best but when Mika is commenting in the negative about Kimi there is no hope lol! Maybe next year with an actual improved car he might have a chance. FA will need to meltdown for Kimi's turn around to have any hope of success.
Imo it was all about the money only team with money is ldm and he once again paid kimi when he could've had hulk for 30 % less. The car is built around fa that's one problem but kimi has never been mentally tough
No new car. utterly pointless for a lost season. ''Turning around'' in reality should mean that he'll be closer to Alonso. No chance that he'll beat him this year save for a bad race from Alonso, sad to say. 2015 is make or break.
Presumably, the 2015 car will have some of his input into the design. The 2014 car will have been designed with either Alonso and Massa or just Alonso in mind, as design and development was probably already under way before they knew Raikkonen was coming. David Coulthard reports that Raikkonen is a very instinctive seat of the pants type of driver and that it feels very different to drive the cars in the new formula. Regenerative braking, he theorises, is one example of something Raikkonen is not adapting to well at all. Raikkonen was at the front of the grid in a Lotus last year. The decline of a driver is gradual, not off a cliff face from one season to the next like we've seen with his results - this indicates the problem is either with the F14T specifically or, more worrisome, the new formula. Ferrari have a recent history of building cars that have been reputedly very difficult to drive relative to other F1 cars in the same season, so it makes me wonder... Anyway, fingers crossed for 2015. All the best, Andrew.
I doubt Ferrari will put much effort in a car that suits Kimi (and therefor doesn't suit Alonso, as I have come to understand) when it is already clear that 2015 will be Kimi's last year.
Lotus had a good car last year. Even Grosjean had his moments and was on several occasions quicker than Kimi in the final part of the year. Apparently Kimi started dozing off then.
Kimi barely matched Massa in the last Ferrari period of his career. Title not-withstanding he was by no means the dominant driver and had issues then. Ferrari designs do not appear to be his liking overall.
I don't see Kimi being on the team next year. Given his performance and his stated retirement date there's little point for them to keep him.
