Kimi Raikkonen: The Complete Racer?

At first glance, Kimi Raikkonen is far from what many people would title 'the complete driver'. That role is reserved in many people’s minds for the Sebastian Vettel's and Ayton Senna's of past and present. Squint a little harder at Raikkonen's career however, and all of a sudden such conclusions drew on the Finnish star begin to appear more inconclusive and false than initially expected...

Red-Hot in Blue: Raikkonen set the world of F1 ablaze in his
debut season for the Sauber team

 Raikkonen arrived under the spotlight in 2001, landing a seat within the Sauber set-up infamous for giving young hotshot's a bullet to penetrate the armor of Motor-Sport's elite. With only vague and short-lived open-wheel experience on the back of a successful kart-hood, Raikkonen was by far the biggest gamble that team boss Peter Sauber had dared tie-up with; such risks were put into context when the F.I.A's decision to present Raikkonen with the essential Super-Licence to driver in F1, only came about after a 'performance delivery promise' from team boss Sauber. In other words, Peter Sauber's highly regarded word of mouth pushed Kimi through the doors into F1. In his first season, he lived up to his Boss's expectations; finishing in the top ten in 12 out of 17 races, and subsequently helping the Hinwil based team to a career best finish of 4th in the constructors championship; a height they have yet to proceed. 

The Big Time: It took Raikkonen just
one season to land a drive with a top
team in the form of McLaren-Mercedes

 Despite Raikkonen's hugely impressive debut year in Formula One, it was two seasons later in 2003 that really kick started his rise to stardom. After signing-up to replace fellow countryman and two-time World Champion Mika Hakkinen at McLaren-Mercedes the year previous, Raikkonen built on a steady start to his McLaren career by taking the field by storm. After qualifying 15th in the teams spare car in the season opening Australian Grand Prix, Raikkonen destroyed the field to move up to P1, only to be caught speeding in the pit-lane as a result of a software-glitch on his car. He eventually ended up bringing up the rear end of the podium in 3rd. Raikkonen went on to break his duck in the proceeding race by winning in Malaysia, before a string of impressive podium-inhabiting results for Ron Dennis' team allowed him to roll up 2nd in the Championship behind some smalltime racer called Michael Schumacher, come the end of the final race in Suzuka.

At Last: Kimi gained his first World title
in 2007 in his debut season with Ferrari

 By the time Raikkonen left in McLaren-Mercedes at the end of 2007 for pastures new at Ferrari, the 'Flying Finn' had built himself a tremendous image, both in and out of the cockpit. On track, (here comes the torrent of clichés) Raikkonen was a real racer- unparalleled bravery in his commitment to corners and overtaking, and a man you could always relate to as 'the last of the late brakers'. When faced with a microphone however, his 'commitment' rather went away, with his hysterically trademark one word and satirical answers sending journalists and T.V presenters red in the face. No better example of this Scandinavian PR-meltdown came in the form Martin Brundle's grid-walk on live T.V prior to the season closing Brazilian Grand Prix in 2007, in which Brundle asked Raikkonen whether he had seen world famous footballer Pele presenting a lifetime achievement award to Michael Schumacher in his then final F1 outing. Kimi simply replied with: "No, I was having a s**t.". One can honestly say that a funny moment in sport has yet to be witnessed.

 Raikkonen's transfer to Ferrari for the 2008 season was in hindsight the beginning of the end for the Finn’s F1 journey: Kimi narrowly won his first, and so far last F1 World Championship by a single point over McLaren’s Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton in arguably one of Formula One’s greatest seasons. The following two seasons promised so much for Raikkonen, but delivered so little, with his 2007 title winning form deserting him and leaving him for dead in terms of pace. Raikkonen’s motivation was seriously questioned, with media reports of drunken shenanigans and the angering Kimi’s employer. It wasn't just away from the race track where issues arose; having been punted out of the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix, Raikkonen was filmed lounging in his team’s hospitality unit in a pair of shorts enjoing an ice cream whilst the race continued. Professional. By the end of the 2009 season, Raikkonen and Ferrari’s strained relationship was terminated, with the Finn reportedly paid £10 million to leave F1 all together; an offer he chose to accept despite a separate £5 million offered to him if he were to remain in F1 with a rival team. I really don’t like Ferrari.

Well Oiled: Raikkonen has sampled a diverse
range of Machinery in his time away from F1

 In Raikkonen’s two years away from Formula One, he has arguably become one of Motor-Sports most diversely experienced marksmen, having accumulated a C.V with World Rally Championship, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Truck Series experience draped over his already lucrative racing portfolio. With specific regards to the two largely unsuccessful full seasons with Citroen in the WRC, Raikkonen cited in typical Raikkonen fashion that his decision to turn his back on F1 was drove by a desire escape the media circus and politics that shadows F1, in what he described in an interview with Autosport as ‘the bulls**t’.

 So, why has he returned? The ‘bulls**t’ certainly still lingers as potently as ever, so one can’t presume it’s because the sports politics have changed. But what about the on-track changes? Well Raikkonen was one of the few racing drivers who never really needed any assistance when it came to overtaking during his first spell in Formula One, so the addition of KERS and DRS are features at the Finn’s disposal in 2012 that should make the Lotus/Raikkonen package absolute dynamite.

'Chilling' to the Extreme: Raikkonen
indulges mid-race without a care for
his teams on-track fortunes 

 During his surprise unveiling as a Lotus-Renault GP driver late last year, Raikkonen acknowledged that he felt ready to put aside the opinion and murmurings of the media, and longed desperately once again for the racing aspect to the sport: “when I did some NASCAR races last year I noticed that I was increasingly missing the racing side, to race against each other, because in rallying you really race against the clock”. This admission by the returnee former champion certainly points towards the fact that his race craft was becoming ever more rusty and abandoned, which considering that ultimately it his best trait as a racing driver, was a tragic shame.

 With his tail between his legs, Raikkonen returns to Formula One in 2012 as a recharged and refreshed racer aiming to re-clinch his formally owned World Championship title. With a new mindset, greater diversity in Motor-Sport experience, and a battered reputation caused by his ugly split from the sport three years ago, the ‘Flying Finn’ really is a man with a point to prove to a raft of haters and fans alike. I as a fan of Kimi Raikkonen, cannot wait.