Is Kimi Raikkonen kicking Ferrari into shape?

By Soren

Since we already have lift-off in the F1 season, I have decided to “open up the floor”, so to speak, for different people I hang out with online. I may not always agree with everything they say, but their comments and viewpoints are often very interesting to read. They let me see things in a broader perspective. Point is, I really enjoy reading them and that is why I want to share some of them with you guys.

First one out is a fellow member from the Kimi Fan Club group on Facebook, Arvin Sharma. He suspects there is something afoot in the Ferrari camp after years of disappointment. And Kimi has shown that he is not shy of letting them know exactly how he feels.

Kicking Ferrari into shape

By Arvin Sharma

So where is the Ferrari team today? They have gone through four years of being beaten by Red Bull and being occasionally told by Fernando Alonso that they are imbeciles. And that he would prefer another team’s car. These things, along with catering to Felipe Massa, who has generally been under-performing, have certainly had an effect.

Kimi has walked into a team that has, to put it mildly, lost the joy of racing when even regular things like set-up are too difficult for them. As our fellow member Pablo A. Rossi wrote in the comments section of the video below: “Ferrari doesn’t know how to set up the car for Kimi… this is unbelievable.” Here we see Kimi having an interaction with his new race engineer, Antonio Spagnolo.

http://youtu.be/aiyULDDNIps

Kimi: “No, that doesn’t work. So ask them to change!”

Yes, it is quite unbelievable. Kimi really wants to give the Ferrari racing staff a kick up their backside, and tell them to wake up already! It seems like Kimi can sense that Ferrari have become lax and some of the World Champion mentality is missing from the team since he left Ferrari in 2009 after winning them three championships in three years (one Driver’s Championship and two Constructors Championships).

It’s not natural to believe that Kimi has suddenly become ‘staff angry’ and frustrated in 2014, like we have seen over the whole winter test and Australia weekend. But there is a method to Kimi’s anger, as can been ascertained from his Mclaren and Lotus stints. For instance, the walking away to his yacht after his Mclaren blew out in Monaco 06, and telling Lotus to back off and let him get on with winning in Abu Dhabi.

Invariably, Kimi has always quietly told his team what they lack, and what they need to focus on to win. If the engine blows up or his salary doesn’t get paid like last year, then it’s not really his fault any more.

Now, Kimi comes into a team that has catered to Alonso’s “development program” for four years and has appropriately ended up making some mediocre cars. (In spite of Alonso being hailed as the master of feedback). The F14T is another Ferrari car that has initial fundamental problems which Kimi has instantly recognized, but does Alonso seem to think he has achieved ‘optimal setup’ already? Here is another clip where it is obvious that Kimi is not a happy camper regarding the car:

http://youtu.be/vA_cZsOG9yM

Kimi appears to have taken the bull by its horns and has aggressively told Ferrari that the set-up flaws need to be fixed, pushing the team into developing minor parts and upgrades that will suit his needs. And that is really great to see. My personal view is that Kimi can unlock ’2 seconds’ from his current Ferrari if James Allison and Fry can adhere to his requests. To think Ferrari wouldn’t do it is sacrilege in itself with all the development money being thrown around for virtually nothing for four years straight.

Kimi wants to win again, and he knows Ferrari needs to win again. But for that to happen, Kimi has told Ferrari ‘what they need to do’. Unlike Alonso, who asks for ‘other people’s cars’, Kimi is simply asking for some basic set-up changes. (As well as fixing the brake-by-wire system). Now it’s up to Ferrari to make the necessary changes; if they can’t, then it’s not really Kimi’s fault any more.

Ferrari has got a Kimi on their hands who is hell-bent on telling Ferrari ‘to get back their motivation’!

- Arvin Sharma————————————————————————

Thanks again to Arvin. He points out some traits that we are not used to seeing in Kimi. The Finn has always been dedicated and regularly provided perfect feedback to his teams. A situation like the current one may previously have resulted in Kimi shrugging his shoulders if his requests were not heeded the first time around. But now, he does seem to be taking matters into his own hands in a much more commanding way, pounding repeatedly on what he requires. And I doubt he will let up before he is satisfied with the equipment underneath him.

We all would have loved Kimi to jump into a car and blaze to victory from the start, like last year or 2007. Obviously, it’s not like that this year. But Ferrari can thank their lucky stars that they have a fired up driver that will push them and tell them what he needs until they get it right. And that is one aspect that is going to be interesting to follow this season.

Stay frosty – and fired up!