How Good Was Kimi Raikkonen In His Prime?

[@baronallstars]

Everyone: there's no overtakes in f1 Kimi: 17th to 1st

[@beck3740]

oh yeah !

[@riesa85]

On fucking Suzuka! The only ones who say it's easy to overtake there have played waaaay to much Gran Tourismo... Wait.. Fuck me then XD

[@Daatistus]

I would say that Kimi is/was one of fastest drivers in F1 history. He doesn't seem that was anymore, but you have to remember (or so I feel) that back in 2000's it was more about who dared to drive the car up to its limits.... It wasn't about who is clinically best to keep tires, fuel etc. etc. at optimal condition. Sure some of current drivers could excel in "old style" but who knows? I feel that it was better when driver kind of couldn't get 100% out of the car if you get the idea. For example you could think of Imola qualifies when Hakkinen slip out and all of seemed to be lost... some how he still got 1st place. Now? "Oh... he wasn't in optimal driving line.... its lost, no way to get that back" and it goes like that 99.999% of time.... Think about it.

[@teemutuominen1900]

I remember watching that from tv. As a Finn it was thrilling to watch.

[@pelimies1818]

That was one of the cooliest F1-memories. Great stuff.

[@tomearnest4335]

Kimmi is the man. I hear rumors they once found blood in his alcohol stream.

[@noobplayer_23]

Wot How come

[@adamo1435]

Blood in his alcohol stream?

[@sloth9093]

I smell a woooosh

[@rk-wy8pu]

No that's purely a rumour

[@justgrey3114]

bullshit, are you telling me that there's not 100% vodka running through his veins?

[@veljkodubicanin3278]

Don't worry guys, he ain't gonna retire, this is hobby for him, if he didn't want to do it he would already stop.

[@napifyy6634]

Lmaooo

[@elliot2815]

Age 50 still in f1, this is just a hobby

[@speckfotze]

but he says already that he will retire after the 2 years at Sauber

[@pradmulia6266]

@@speckfotze and yet he still racing in f1,even won a WDC

[@iBoss818]

No, he's only still in F1 purely for head games for us

[@philipschmitd6854]

He drove against 2 Verstappens and 2 Schumachers (maybe 3) That says it all about his legacy

[@SordoBjorn]

and was competitive doing so

[@darkox4172]

2 Schumacher

[@darkox4172]

@@fryke oh ok, So he meant Mick Schumacher too

[@munizdaniel7]

@@fryke I don't know... HAAS is currently without 2 drivers for 2021; and Giovinazzi could still be moved and Mick would partner Kimi

[@fryke]

@@munizdaniel7 Yup, things changed quickly during silly season. ;) A month ago, Mick's season didn't look this good - and the two Haas pilots were still (relatively) safe in their seats and Ferrari wasn't courting Haas as much.

[@jamesshunt5123]

His stats proves he is an interesting anomaly. This means he could either be seen as one of the greatest who deserved at least three titles or was one who had the ability to be one of the greats but lacked the mindset. Or it could simply mean his equipment let him down (the same way Jim Clark could easily have won the 62-63-64-65 titles if his car only lasted a few more laps in the last race of 1962 and 1964). Only five drivers in the history of F1 have had more than 100 podium finishes. Schumacher, Hamilton, Vettel, Prost and Raikkonen. Now when you consider that all the other four drivers had at least 4 titles(!) but Raikkonen only 1 then it is indeed an anomaly. When it comes to raw race pace the fastest race lap is a good indication of how fast a driver is in race conditions. Likewise only Schumacher and Hamilton have more fastest laps than Raikkonen (Hamilton just one more than Raikkonen) and those two are a 7-time and a 6-time world champion. Meanwhile the two drivers who come after Raikkonen in the all-time fastest lap list is Prost and Vettel. Both of those being 4-time champions. Raikkonen has a few interesting records too in F1: Longest span between the first and last win: 15 years, 6 months and 28 days. (Hamilton must win races in 2023 to better that. ) Longest span between the first and last pole: 15 years, 2 months and 4 days. (Hamilton can beat that in 2023 at earliest) Fastest ever average speed on a F1 track: Monza 2018 qualifying, 263,588km/h (163,785mph) Most fastest laps in a single season. 10 which he managed both in 2005 and 2008 (ironically while not winning either title), shared with Schumacher's 10 in 2004 (with the stellar F2004 Ferrari). The only F1 driver ever to arrive in F1 without stints in either F3 or F3000/GP2/Formula 2. Interesting trivia: Raikkonen is the only F1 driver to win for McLaren, Ferrari and Lotus. Let's compare with others. Emerson Fittipaldi won races for Lotus and McLaren but never for Ferrari. Nigel Mansell raced for Lotus, Ferrari and McLaren but only won races for Ferrari. Mario Andretti won races for Ferrari and Lotus but never for McLaren. Niki Lauda won races for Ferrari and McLaren but never for Lotus. Ayrton Senna won races for Lotus and McLaren but never for Ferrari. Alain Prost won races for McLaren and Ferrari but never for Lotus. Raikkonen is the only driver to win races in the three different engine regulations eras (3,0 liter V10, 2,4 liter V8 and 1,6 liter V6 turbo) Schumacher won in the V10 and V8 era but not in the V6 turbo. Hamilton won in the V8 and V6 turbo era but not the V10. Alonso won in the V10 and V8 era but not the V6 turbo. Vettel won in the V8 and V6 turbo era but not V10. The only current F1 driver to have raced against world champions Mika Hakkinen and Jacques Villeneuve (and Schumacher had he never made his 2010-2012 comeback). Kimi is a living part of F1 history.

[@DevilzzzzOwn]

This definitely needs to be seen by tons of F1 fans!!!!

[@LaKuPuLa]

Wow thanks for taking the time to share this.

[@burdineestep4224]

UNIQUE is unique =KIMI.

[@gvainola]

Kimi's toughts on this : Ok

[@stupot008]

Thanks for taking the time to share all this data. Incredible.

[@NWA_1919]

The reason kimi earns everyones respect, is his clean racing. He can challenge the best drivers on the grid, without pushing anyone off the track. He has respect for other drivers. And he is a very talented racer.

[@tosehoed123]

My idol

[@arei2422]

I think one of the highlights of this is the 2020 Portuguese GP first lap. Sure he had softer compound than many others and thus faster. But just how smooth and effortless he made it look is a sight to be hold.

[@Pahakyy]

Words, words.

[@jackdavis7903]

Lotus Kimi was a bit underrated in my opinion. 2 wins in a car that wasn’t necessary considered on par with the ‘big 3’ of red bull, mclaren and ferrari at the time. 14 podiums aswell over the 2 seasons, and p3 in the championship in 2012. All after 2 years off, extremely impressive!

[@ardaakdeniz3905]

He got outqualified by Grosjean in 2012.

[@Dan4096]

Isn't Kimi still the last driver not from Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull to win a race?

[@oskarikorander9905]

@@Dan4096 yes and also last Ferrari driver to win a championship.

[@bigmac9800]

Jack Davis impressive, but not on 2003-2007 Level

[@speedymonkey1]

@@ardaakdeniz3905 Grosjean, on the other hand, could not finish his races.

[@kieranfox5639]

How fast was Kimi? So fast that sometimes he was able to finish a race before his McLaren broke down👀

[@zoltankiss1533]

The saddest moment will be when he retires...

[@jackietang3789]

Agreed

[@06dpa]

So true, I want to see him driving on the same grid as his son.

[@pedrosilvaproductions]

@@06dpa oof the kid is like 4 or 5 or something, you will need at least 15 years lmao

[@RampantFury925]

@@06dpa Hes gonna be the oldest F1 driver by then.

[@anttijarvi9441]

F1 dies with him. Last of the Gladiators.

[@matthewwong1326]

Mclaren wanted to sign Nick Heidfeld but Hakinnen convinced McLaren to sign Kimi when Mika said "If you want to win, get the finn"

[@jakemorandthemomoz8154]

They still dont won any titles together lol

[@yewisemountaingoat528]

@@jakemorandthemomoz8154 But they did win (races) and got awfully close in 2003 (even with a modified 2002 car, while wasting tons of time and resources trying to prepare the stillborn MP4/18).

[@cap532]

@@jakemorandthemomoz8154 dawg my left nut could last more races than the 2003-2005 McLaren, the reliability is fucking horrible on that thing

[@asmerX100]

mika should've add "if you want to win, fix your damn car"

[@harshmallow6882]

@@asmerX100 "its a shitbox "

[@amadif1793]

Kimi was a beast back in his McLaren days. He could have won the championship in 2005 if that McLaren wasn't falling to pieces every race. I feel like Hakkinen is still in his prime, he's gonna be a beast once he comes back from that sabbatical.

[@derniax7513]

bro Häkkinen is 51 years old i dont think he is gonna come back lmfao

[@michaelpace3427]

@@derniax7513 i think he was joking

[@enginefailure2582]

2021 Häkkinen to Mercedes you say ? :D

[@LegendSpecialist]

Yeah suzuka race👊👊👊

[@matthewteves8090]

Imagine if Kimi and Mika were both in McLaren

[@jinglebuddy9471]

There were at the time, the engineers at McLaren who rated Kimi's raw talent higher than that of Senna's. And when he first moved to Ferrari, the engineers there were said to having to re-calibrate what F1 cars were capable of, especially in the high-speed corners. Apparently, Kimi was that fast.

[@dennisvillaflor3359]

Many engineers have said that Kimi is the best to test a car cause he knows exactly what to improve and what is wrong with it.

[@maniac7067]

@Kim Yo Jong's Sandwich Kimi is faster than the speed of light

[@chrispalmer3096]

@Zidni Imani He was only granted a temporary Super License because of his lack of experience when he came into F1.

[@antoniomikkonen4935]

Dencod Raikkonen with this years Alfa it is everything :(

[@bryanrohrman6783]

The Stig was based on Kimi.

[@shravanr8264]

The man has over a 100 podiums Almost 2000 points Definitely one of the greatest legends

[@surajramesh2534]

Yupp he's been on the podium of 1/10th of all F1 races lol

[@jamesshunt5123]

@@surajramesh2534 His podiums to races started ratio is actually 32,9% (103 podiums in 313 starts). Yes, 1 in every 3 races he started had him finish on the podium. And more telling that's a higher percentage than Mika Hakkinen (31,7%) , Niki Lauda (31,6%), Nigel Mansell (31,5%) and...and... Fernando Alonso (31,1%). Yes, Alonso is often mentioned as the epitome of consistency but all things considered his podiums to races started ratio is lower. Max Verstappen may be early in his career so it may be difficult to compare him to those above mentioned but right now he has a 30,4% podium finish ratio.

[@Winniethepoo1998]

@Rishi J In 2004 he was lucky to not burn.

[@kiisseli1337]

@@jamesshunt5123 Eh, Alonso might have suffered a bit at Mclaren..? And Kimi mostly had good cars.

[@rosvokomppania]

@@kiisseli1337 yeah and Kimi didn't suffer at McLaren? Lost 2 WDC and had 38% percent DNF! That doesen't sound like definition of a good car. Oh yeah, btw he is driving now driving Alfa Romeo so what is really point of your comment?

[@januarybaby1063]

One of the most naturally gifted pure racing drivers of all time

[@BigSmoke-jm7xc]

He’s still one of the best in my opinion

[@jiayu4310]

@Alex O’Gradv Racing NO U

[@idexpro8263]

Used to be one of the best, but overrated

[@rafateruel5893]

@@idexpro8263 true

[@evilzzzability]

He's in the lowest 3rd of the grid speedwise and fightwise now. Sad for a driver who was once so exciting.

[@franciscobaeta2213]

Van Dieu do you know Kimi was in the 3rd worst car last year and managed to be fighting for ninth place in the standings agains ricciardo, perez and norris... sure lowest 3rd of the grid speedwise and fightwise...

[@Bobba8590]

Broke my heart, when Kimi and Mika both had all those mechanical issues during the races. Phenomenal drivers.

[@rabioli6034]

At the end of drive to survive season 2 everyone is compiled together saying about the drive to be the best and the sacrifices people make and kimi at the end says "it is more of a hobby for me" classic Kimi

[@junienet]

kimi's family: **literally sells stuff, saves money and not buy items to ease their lives** also kimi: its more of a hobby for me

[@santosh4519]

scuttle06 that was the past, compared to other drivers right now it’s a hobby for him

[@ashmars_]

That part crack me so hard, his ice cold personality suits him so well

[@essa28_fsr]

One of his best moments for me was when he dnf in Barcelona couple years back and a young fan cried . Kimi brought the kid into the Ferrari garage

[@whoismarkk]

people take him for granted imo. as a Finn this sport is going to lose alot when he is gone

[@jackietang3789]

Can't wait to see if his son Robin decides to go for an F1 career

[@jundies171]

@@xfg007 watch for Robin

[@riidge4177]

Zeus The Cade unfortunately not any that stands out there is Juri Vips but he’s Estonian not Finnish from that area of the world

[@h4rshturtle456]

Agreed as a non finn he is just a person i grew up with i was 3 years old when he started his first race and he was and will be my favourite driver

[@Balnazzardi]

@@xfg007 Nope not at the moment unfortunately.....Niko Kari was pretty much our only hope from junior categories, but after Red Bull dropped him out of their young driver program he hasnt made much progress. I mean he is still driving in F3, but his career isnt showing any upward trend. But ye I too dream of the day we might one day see Robin Räikkönen in F1, but way too early to say ofc if he even follows his dad's footsteps into motortsport. Ofc he has driven some kart-cars already, but since Robin is only 5 years old, we cant say much anything about his future. In next few years we shall see if its still something he would like to do, but even then its ofc long way to F1 :D

[@alexveldhuis6004]

The story behind Kimi's leaving Ferrari after 2009 revolves around Santander, Alonso's sponsor. Fernando arrived at Ferrari with Santander money. Ferrari were only too happy to have that funding, but the bank (Santander) had an agenda. Bringing Alonso in meant either Massa or Raikkonen had to go. As a Spanish finance company, keen to expand its market, Massa was a great prospect in establishing the brand in South America, an appealing target for Santander. Kimi may have had appeal if the bank had desires to establish itself in Scandinavia or even Finland specifically. This was however not the case, South America was.. Thus pressure was put on Ferrari to retain Massa, for the marketing purposes of Alonso's sponsor. Ferrari relented and so Kimi was let go. But they never had anything against him as such, he had given them their last World title and did, at that time at least, have a loyalty towards him. This is why he was eventually able to return to Ferrari. Some of Santander's money went towards paying Kimi a very large sum of money NOT to compete in F1 for 2 years. Kimi took the deal and he felt like having a break anyway. Imagine being paid not to race in F1..... That is a good demonstration of the quality of his racing skills, that Ferrari didn't want to face the prospect of him competing against him in another team. Kimi took the opportunity to do something else, was financially well taken care of so no issues there and he could do whatever he felt like having a go at, and he did. Then, after the 2 years were up, he talked to a few teams and picked Lotus Renault, as they had a seat available. Eventually he returned to Ferrari, where in an ironic twist Alonso was still in the other car. Alonso, faced with Kimi as his team mate, did all in his power to make Kimi look poor. How? Influence to car build/setup in a direction he could handle better than Kimi could. So that season's Ferrari was an understeering pig that Alonso, with his 'preference' for understeer, handled okay to fine, compared to Kimi's preference for oversteer that meant he struggled. Show me a Fin that does not like a swinging rear end....

[@mikkomallikas8678]

Ferrari (Santander) paid Kimi en extra 7 million per year not to drive in the F1. Kimi was the third best paid driver in the 2010 season without driving a single race.

[@desperado73397]

20 mil

[@alejandro9531]

155-61

[@no1washerezz]

i dont know how anyone could suggest that ferrari was suited to anyone. watch both drivers hack at that 2014 f14t and you will quickly see that the balance was so poor no driver could have any respectable lap time

[@jackbloyce8296]

That Japanese gp 2005 was one of the most sensational performances by any driver in f1

[@Toku91]

Valencia 2012.

[@theelf152]

Actually if you ask Kimi some races like 2004 Spa- He started 10th, with a terrible car was hit from behind by Massa at the start partially damaged his floor, had electronic and gearbox problems, but still came through & won. Schumacher mentioned in post race they could not believe Kimis performance that day.

[@黃日恆-l1n]

Kimi Räikkönen, how can we not consider him as one of the greatest driver and character of all time? There was no “ordinary “ or even “good” driver who could pull up a comeback like Suzuka 2005. There wasn’t DRS at that time. The only front runner retired from the race was Montoya. Then he simply stormed through the circuit and took the victory like a boss. Even though Kimi wasn’t famous for his consistency in his early years, there was no doubt that he was able to deliver magnificent performance every week. He had almost no driver errors in 2005, but his car left him down so often. By comparison, Lewis Hamilton had his first mechanical DNF in 2009! I think Kimi deserves so much more than he did in his career. For me, he was my racing hero when I was little ( with Michael Schumacher), and he still inspires so many people now. He wasn’t really considered one the greatest of all time by many, but I do think that he was definitely phenomenal and legendary. Thank you Kimi, for everything.

[@theelf152]

Spa 2004, Australia 2013, Monaco 2005, etc, etc..He definitely is one of the very best.

[@ivanivicevic]

I think the title should be "How good will Kimi Raikkonen be at his prime when he reach it?"

[@rafateruel5893]

kimi to be very fast he needs a car that suits him thats why he was so quick when he was at McLaren

[@ivanivicevic]

@@rafateruel5893 well, everybody need a good car if they want to win..i dont think its just kimi

[@cek0792]

@@ivanivicevic some cars are fast in different ways , the McLaren suited his driving style

[@rafateruel5893]

@@ivanivicevic No, but Kimi doesnt adapt to cars, he needs the car to suit his driving style

[@ivanivicevic]

@@rafateruel5893 Kimi is that cool that the car adapts to him 😎

[@Don_Ramiro]

Probably the most charismatic driver since Ayrton Senna. And having completely different character and personalities

[@midnightstorm1920]

I'm just gonna leave this here: Nobody disrespects Kimi NOBODY!

[@shijuokphun1379]

Nobody respect Kimi...but Kimi doesn't care.....

[@ld2k408]

Nobody disrespects Kimi, except Kimi himself

[@HaXD1209]

The drink did not care

[@genedrakes686]

No disrespect here! Named my cat Kimi!

[@stttttipa]

Ok, for the sake of argument, let's say I disrespect him. Now what.

[@arunarjun]

2005 Italian GP... He put the McLaren on pole with a tank full of fuel... That was just insane!

[@amalkallarackal9293]

Also was carrying a lot more fuel at monaco when he put half a second on the more agile chassis Renault of Alonso

[@jamiecloughgaming25387]

@@amalkallarackal9293 The MP4-20 was the better car in every respect performance wise than the R25 as far as I'm concerned, the only reason it lost both titles, was down to reliability so the 2nd best car won out that's racing...

[@amalkallarackal9293]

@@jamiecloughgaming25387 not at all.... They were evenly matched on most circuits.... R25 had that immense launch control and chassis Along with the bulletproof reliability. Sort of like the redbull in 2012 While the mclaren of 05 keeps failing at tracks where they have an advantage just like the mclaren of 2012.

[@jamiecloughgaming25387]

@@amalkallarackal9293 Whilst similarities to 2012 can be drawn, I think 2012 was a different kettle of fish to 2005, McLaren had the car advantage at first in 2012 but by the end of the season the Red Bull RB8 had caught up also Ferrari, Lotus and Mercedes were all in the mix especially at the start of the season there were even races where Sauber and Williams were strong. Whereas in 2005 there were basically 2 teams that could win McLaren or Renault everyone else was fighting to be best of the rest.

[@markhenley3097]

Insanely quick and rarely felt pressure. He was equally as good as Alonso although a different level of skill. Alonso had more commitment, and almost anger, while Kimi had coolness and the same speed.

[@iceman1125]

we missed the kimi vs alonso era because of michelins

[@d.a.5135]

Wish we could have seen Alonso vs Kimi already in the mid- 2000s. Would have been great to see Kimi getting exposed even a bit earlier.

[@surajramesh2534]

Kimi vs Alonso vs JPM is what the 2000s should have been..

[@AMGU2B]

Based on 2014, when Alonso mopped the floor with Kimi, either Kimi didn’t improve as much, or he was never at Alonso’s level.

[@andreadg5429]

@@AMGU2B But that's the wrong approach to things. Kimi, specially after the comeback with Lotus, has been in F1 just for the sake of it. He just likes the sport and to drive those cars, but he doesn't really care about it. Kimi's prime is from the beginning until 2007/2008., which was when he actually gave a shit about it. That's when you should compare them. Unfortunately, they were not in the same car then.

[@ApexCris]

One potential factor in Kimi's drop off in his second stint at Ferrari was the handling of the Ferrari's. Kimi notoriously prefers a little oversteer on his cars as oppsed to understeer. The cars being tailored towards Alonso and Vettel might have contributed to Kimi not being able to replicate his pace from earlier in his career. It was a similar story in 2008, when he struggled for qualifying pace with the new tires, that were harder to heat up. But as the race progrssed Kimi always picked up the pace. Only 2 poles and wins that year but 10 fastest laps. His raw talent is up there among the best of all time imo, and his stats don't tell the full story.

[@Dan4096]

Yeah agree, so many young kids in comments online say "oh Kimi only had 1 title yada yada" without looking at the full picture. Looking at his numbers tells less than half the story.

[@ZZYTW]

MCGlenn81 LOOOOL you actually think Ferrari were dumb enough to make Kimi their number 1 back in 2014 over Seb whos a 4x champ? Kimi’s one win in 5 years at Ferrari whilst Vettel got 13 shows why Ferrari were right to make Vettel their no1 even though it didn’t go to plan. By his second stint at Ferrari Kimi was absolutely washed

[@deekay2578]

@@ZZYTW 🤦🏿‍♂️

[@theelf152]

Forget handling. The new era car of 2014 for Kimis Ferrari was total rubbish. People forget he had so many technical failures with the ERS and weird power spiking in his car. His team mate had very few issues!

[@ishqiahmed4315]

@@ZZYTW you say that but in 2019 they immediately put a rookie over a 4x champion, so i dont see your arguement here

[@arunkumarrajukosuri821]

I feel very lucky to witness Kimi winning 2018 US Grand Prix after long stint. Best moment that I cherish in my life. I can’t wait to see him back in action this season. I hope he will race for next season too.

[@mudundisivaramaraju4640]

Hey bro meeru Telugu?

[@ItsMeeJon]

I went to F1 at COTA for 16 and 17. I wish I would have made it in 18. I teared up when I watched it on tv

[@arunkumarrajukosuri821]

Mudundi Siva Rama Raju Yes, my insta I’d arunkosuri87

[@stephendobson7310]

I was at that race I watched Vettel spin on the first lap right infront of me

[@ItsMeeJon]

He still has the fastest lap in F1 and he did that after what people call his “prime”.

[@creativecat2763]

he never had a "prime" he can still be as fast as he was but he needs the car to suit him, thats why he was so quick in McLaren because he cant adapt

[@memologist9619]

Not anymore :(

[@hw4halbmenschhalbtier726]

The cars were faster then

[@trackandfieldarchive]

Because he's been around so long, people forget how amazing Kimi was in his prime years. McLaren years were astounding. He showed no fear of Schumacher (or anyone) and was just an animal. His world championship win was clutch and his years at Lotus were damn impressive too. He doesn't have that ruthlessness anymore, but his talent still remains.

[@anareel4562]

Kimi really reminds me of the old Gentleman drivers of the 70s and early 80s, kinda like Hunt. Just in it for the fun of doing it

[@TopiAS06]

Hell yeah, hes like "modern" F1 playboy, likes to drink sometimes (not so much anymore, takes time with family more), little bit horseplay etc, sleeping before races, just chilling out and eating icecream, and when is time to race, he goes at it

[@drybones7475]

Interesting fact: In 2005, when Kimi had his penalties, he performed better when he started at the back: 11->4 12->3 13->2 17->1

[@Takeda_Katsuyori]

Suzuka 2005 was his best race 🏎🏆

[@ThePikachuThing]

2005 he was the best driver on the grid imo, he only lost out to Alonso because of McLaren having awful reliability

[@egekarabacak4416]

Seems like Mclaren opened the cooling ducts more which allowed the car to finish without melting itself when he was starting in the back lmao

[@MrYewheng]

I think age catch up with him, perhaps reflexes slowed a little as compared when he was younger.

[@黃日恆-l1n]

And that was the time without DRS.

[@frankmazzaferro8331]

II think its also important to note that Ferrari drastically favored Vettel and Alonso and many times left Kimi out begging for a better strategy and just denied time after time to try and help Vettel or Alonso. Ironically the weekend Ferrari announced that Kimi will leave (Italy 2018) he bounced right back up and was on par if not even outperforming Vettel in 2018.

[@joel4285]

I don’t buy that argument. Ferrari said before the 2019 season Vettel was there no.1 and Leclerc wasn’t given best strategy or had to hold position behind him for the first few races until Leclerc showed how fast he was.

[@Dani94Ultra]

To answer the title question shortly: on his prime, Kimi was the fastest driver since Ayrton.

[@McLarenMercedes]

@@circourt3250 Read James Shunt's data posted here and get the bigger picture. Might give you some scope, angles and new points of view. It's hard to rationalize against that data and even harder to dismiss them. Certainly as far as fastest race laps are concerned. And when you realize that only Schumacher and Hamilton have more fastest laps than him but he never had access to the dominant cars they had for so many seasons then it certainly gets interesting. Btw, fastest simply means "raw speed" . It doesn't mean tactical or strategic brilliance or development skills (although he is highly regarded by the teams he drove for). Some claim Gilles Villeneuve was the fastest F1 driver ever. You're the kind of person who'll crudely dismiss that with: "But, uh, like he only won 6 races so that can't be true." Whereas those who know what kind of miracles he pulled off with the bad cars he had and his relentless determination (1980 world champion Alan Jones said that he's never ever seen anybody so determined never to give up even with utterly hopeless cars) and how much faster he was than anybody else in the same car will rate him higher than many champions. Jean Alesi btw said that Raikkonen has more "natural speed" than anybody he saw after he retired from F1.

[@rosvokomppania]

@@circourt3250 are you on crack or just 10 year old just who couldn't see him performing at his prime?

[@mayhare55555]

@@rosvokomppania well you need to be old enough as of now and a long time F1 fans to ever enjoy his magic live. I'm lucky to be one of those people

[@cek0792]

@Alex Snowden I watched Kimi doing it in 2012 Live

[@source9264]

@@circourt3250 All those took their championships in absolutely owerpowered car. At times ,there was only 2 cars in same lap, schumi and barichello, even 3rd place was lapped. Same goes for vettel and hamilton championships..

[@garysanderson5774]

He's definitely a GOAT material in his mclaren years and especially in his championship year. Then it became a hobby for him after winning the WDC

[@David-nu6kw]

Became a hobby lol

[@Menolifee]

definitely. one of the fastest drivers in history during his peak. who knows what the record books would look like if mclaren had the reliability during those years and what wouldve followed if he won those 2 titles everyone knows he wouldve gotten.

[@ganto77]

What the hell does that mean? I have never seen the man take a Sunday drive on the track, he was always competitive. Kimi does have hobbies, racing not being one of them.

[@FullOilBarrel]

@@ganto77 lol he has literally been quoted saying "(f1) its more like a hobby to me" kzbin.info/www/bejne/mae0Yn1pnKiDhck

[@DL-yw1gx]

@@ganto77 lol, get wrecked

[@matthewashley4276]

One of the best in f1, should have won 3 world championships: 2003, 2005 and 2007

[@LegendSpecialist]

Yeah 2003, 2005 true champion.... 2007 Remembered Hamilton China fail😉 And im from Finland

[@adammarjanovic]

Legend2993 Kimi was the best driver in 2007 imo, he deserved the title

[@markhenley3097]

I'm not sure why but I always feel sad that he didn't win the 2002 French GP.

[@tommykee12]

2003 and 2005 yes, 2007 probably not. Basically had lot bad luck in 03 and 05 and luck that Alonso and Hamilton trip over each other and spygate too.

[@willzmaztrz5902]

It depends if kimi would've moved to Ferrari og he had won with mckaren

[@GeneralMiller92FIN]

Kimi is like old Rock Musician. So much love and passion to the profession that he only retires when he dies. A person who dies with their boots on .

[@dipesharora8387]

IMO.. Kimi should have been a 3 time champion. If it wasn't for the McLaren's reliability issues Kimi would have had 2 titles more And Alonso would have had one title less. Infact in one of the post race interviews Alonso had also said that Kimi was faster But it doesn't matter bcz in race you need to finish first. And that is where Kimi failed bcz his McLaren broke down so many times that you could almost cry for him. In his prime.. in a reliable car Kimi was faster than both Schumi and Alonso.

[@myco9253]

I'd go as far to say a 4 time WDC. If Ferrari had actually helped him in 2008 had backed him as they should have he would have most likely won the championship again. It's pretty funny that Ferrari's greed for spanish money led to them not losing the 2008 wdc.

[@naycnay]

Ironically without "McLaren's reliability issues", Lewis would likely of taken 2007 away from Kimi. Lewis was on fire and ahead of the pack, but in China they didn't pit Lewis quick enough and he DNFd into gravel in the pit lane and in Brazil he had a gearbox failure and dropped back to 7th. He lost the championship by a single point to Kimi because of fuck ups in the last two races...

[@jonathan_hanst]

i think if kimi won the 03' and 05' with mclaren, lewis wont be there at all.

[@dipesharora8387]

@@naycnay yes.. in a few races anyone can have a reliability problem. But if you look at kimi's career his prime was always in McLaren not in his Championship winning Ferrari year. In a McLaren he was way faster than everybody but if you look at his McLaren years he had reliability issues almost 40% of his races. That is something no Frontline driver has faced in F1 in the last 2-3 decades.

[@Garvm]

And if McLaren didn’t shoot themselves in the foot in 2007 he could have one less

[@GioScalia]

kimi in 2005 might have been one of the quickest drivers ever. so disappointing mclaren couldn't hold up on reliability.

[@Bobba8590]

Broke my heart back then. And looking his interviews after the races... So sad. Mika had same problems. And in racing against the best, everything has to fall in the right place. He could have won 3 championships. Mika had really good two.

[@theelf152]

I was disgusted watching that car stop when noone was even close enough to see his dust!. He won 7/15 same as Alonso. Yet he had 3 total engine failures whilst leading, thats not including 3-4 other significant technical problems. When you look at this alone you appreciate he was one of /if not, best racers ever!.

[@crash6871]

He's been my favorite driver since day one.

[@thomasvisscher7006]

Kimi was a beast in 2005, half a second faster than Alonso in monaco and comfortably beating JP Monotya, who is not a pushover

[@SpectralizerYT]

That West sponsored McLaren was one of the most beautiful Cars

[@martinhami3]

Absolutely, so stunning. Bonus of sounding incredible as well

[@rk-wy8pu]

Agree...it was so fucking mean looking and super cool.

[@thatracingguy5694]

I agree.

[@flakemonsterrr]

yesssss

[@kingjeremy1278]

Yess

[@artpereira]

His time at McLaren was what sealed the deal for me as being my favourite post Senna driver

[@danort17]

I'm a simple kind of man. I see Kimi, I click.

[@MultiTopgearfan]

Best of Kimi: "I was having a shit." Drunk Kimi at an FIA event. "No no, is the drink ON or not?" Walking back to his yacht after retiring. "Leave me alone, I know what I'm doing." "Is the front wing ok? I DON'T KNOW, YOU TELL ME." "Gloves and steering wheel, yeah. GIVE IT TO ME, COME ON MOVE!" "Yeah, I have that Force India or whatever the f*** it's called."

[@rai8558]

I remember when I was 16, Singapore GP 2012. It was my first time watching full F1 race and the driver that piqued my interest the most is the guy driving Lotus that came charging from the back of the field, Kimi Raikkonen. Been watching F1 ever since.

[@therrydicule]

Kimi's real job is drinking... Racing is just for fun.

[@cinderellaandstepsisters]

Not true!

[@elsyvien]

But he doesn't get the drink :(

[@hyperspeedgameplay8652]

Bwoah

[@somguy728]

He's the John Daly of F1? Kimi is respected, Daly is a joke and a waste of talent. Kimi is authentic, few celebrities can say that after even a few years. Kimi's unaffected. Awesome!

[@huzayfadadabhay7055]

No racing is kimis hobby

[@creepydutchman]

The man, the myth, and the legend himself. Been watching F1 since 92 and i will definitely miss him when he leaves the sport for the final time. So grateful that i been given the chance seeing him both in tv and on race track

[@frevazz3364]

It's remarkable that a driver with such little experience was given an F1 seat but he had such amazing raw talent. On that first F1 test, Michael Schumacher was there on the track observing and he noticed Kimi driving and ask "who is that? He should be in F1". Pretty crazy he did not make mistakes and crash the car with so little experience and by the second day he was on par with the test driver, just raw talent so Sauber gave him the seat because he knew he would be snapped up quick. Alas, it does feel like he could have won more given his amazing talent, wonder if his personality and team relationship hinder that, but he still performed great overall. That move of going to the yatch and jumping in the jacuzzi was a boss move 😂.

[@drybones7475]

Kimi was probably the fastest driver when he was driving for McLaren.

[@drybones7475]

I think he appeared weaker when Ferrari decided to bring Alonso to Ferrari in 2008, which is probably the reason why Ferrari ensured that the car rather suits Massa's style from mid-2008 where Kimi already had a lot of bad luck.

[@myco9253]

@@drybones7475 2008 was a clusterfuck for Kimi. - Kimi had less say what the car would be like. Schumacher had the final word on the car, something which irritated Kimi. He was used to having the car made for his driving style. Schumacher designed the car more for Massa, since they had a closer bond. - Todt was ousted out of Ferrari and was the only man at Ferrari who favored Kimi. - Kimi's car had its front end changed for the German gp without being informed about it. This change induced understeer which Kimi hates. The issue wasn't fixed till Singapore. - Alonso was already signed for Ferrari during 2008. Not very motivation inducing for your top 1 driver. - The new Bridgestone tyres were harder to heat up than 2007 (Kimi already disliked the Ferrari and the Bridgestones) and coupled with the heavier understeer of the f2008 Kimi had massive trouble in qualifying and stint starts. He only gained speed once the rear tyres would start to wear out and the car would turn in. 10 fastest laps (single season record) with only 2 wins and poles is an odd performance for the reigning WDC. - Numerous race incidents did not help kimi that year. When Kimi signed for Ferrari for 2014 Ferrari were contractually obligated to apologize for the way they treated him from 2008-2009.

[@The_Levkir]

@@myco9253 the contract part was quite interesting :D

[@drybones7475]

@@myco9253 Interesting. Especially that most people think that it is following Kimi's performances that he got dropped. I remember that Jean Todt told explicitly that he never wanted to work with Alonso.

[@myco9253]

@@MaK_CGI Even shittier is that Montezemolo wanted Kimi hired because he thought that Kimi would take his side and help him oust Todt, yet the opposite happened in 2007, as Kimi sided woth Todt.

[@ghostswrld999]

The "Yeah, I was having a shit" quote is my favorite of all time. I'm gonna have it on my tombstone.

[@goodguysfishing2711]

The last of the f1 rebels

[@bigmac9800]

Ismail Rasheed I think Max is a bit

[@TopiAS06]

i woudnt say rebels, id sai F1 playboys, racing, drinking, just having fun, like good old days

[@rohaniyer7589]

TopiAS06 Button, Leclerc?

[@goodguysfishing2711]

Big Mac we’ll see

[@MarcRocka]

"The day he retires will be a sad day" really made me cry. Good job on this video!

[@Lethalweapon612]

I hope he'd become team principal of Alpha Romeo and win championship with Raikkonen jr. And finally become President of FIA. Oh shit! Pls ignore my love for kimi made me type all this😂

[@josiahboatengmyrie]

Robin would be Raikkonen but slightly more open i reckon

[@MothDax]

If he was the FIA boss there would be no complaints because they'd leave him alone, he knows what he's doing after all

[@iBoss818]

13:57 "I could honestly write a book with all of the funny things that Kimi has done over the years" The name of that book would be "Bwoah"

[@eatens]

Dont forget, kimi is the only driver to have a race win with the v10, v8 and v6 hybrid engines

[@garethsmith1051]

Great point

[@rudolfhuijs4526]

That makes him a triple engine type winner.

[@andrejbovhan1591]

KIMI deserves more than just 1 title

[@jonihan33]

Kimi Räikkönen: 338 Starts in F1. 1864 points. 103 podiums. 21 wins. 18 poles. 46 fastest laps. World champion 2007. Second in world champion 2003, 2005. Third in world championship 2008, 2012, 2018. 19 seasons in a row to get at least one point. 13/18 times to be in top 6 in drivers championship. Racing still at age of 41 and is still fast and consist driver at grid. And lots of records left behind! LEGEND!

[@TheRealGirlWeeb]

i just can't imagine losing Kimi from the sports. he wasn't as much of a knob as a lot of other world champions. and i'll never get tired of him. that win in 2018 still makes me emotional as i had been rooting for him to get another win for quite some time ...

[@BrendanP]

Great video. Must say you have an excellent balance when it comes to the volume of the narration and background music. Excellent balance.

[@sanvirs]

On his day, the fastest driver I've ever seen and his days were every race weekend between 2003 - 2008. Give him a car with a front end that went where he wanted and he'd drive the wheels off it (no pun intended). Probably should've broken the Ferrari/Schumacher hegemony in 2003 and definitely should've in 2005 if it weren't for rotten luck. Still, he's Ferrari's last championship winner and they've had a 2 x WDC (who, rightly or wrongly, is considered one of the greats) and 4 x WDC driving for them since. Shame he couldn't be bothered to play politics as he probably could've gotten himself a RBR or McLaren drive after Ferrari but that's part of his legend. No politics, no PR, no bullsht. Give him his steering and gloves and let him go fast.

[@Irfan87]

Kimi might be the unluckiest driver in F1 history, and despite that, his achievements are outstanding. He lost to Schumi by a mere 2 points and was in an inferior car. He rarely if ever had the best car on the grid, yet holds a number of F1 records and is in the top ranks for many such records. A true pure racer. Had he better luck with the teams he drove for, Kimi could have easily had 2-3 championships to his name.

[@dewaadisandjaja]

Eventhough he won his WDC at Ferrari, I'm always thought the prime Kimi is in McLaren. It could be a different story..

[@JsDs1020]

He will always be one of my favorite drivers, I watched F1 on and off for a few years but i really got into F in 2012. Watching him compete in Lotus against the front teams and still being successful made me like him even more.

[@seretsemompei9605]

Another great video Aldas!! Kimi was the my guy when i first started watching F1 in 2005. It was a roller-coaster of a season and Kimi stayed cool throughout! The highlight was Japan, and that monster of a race!! As much as I am a huge Lewis fan, I am glad Kimi got his championship in 2007. You have to love the ICEMAN!!

[@erikfernandez694]

One of the fastest drivers ever and cleanest. All showed respect but never backed down. An absolute animal behind the wheel

[@rickykuijpers3179]

Kimi has been incredibly fast in his prime. A true driver of no bullshit raw speed and few words. Love him to bits and in my opinion he's the last of his generation and we will never see anyone like him again!

[@davidmcmahon2525]

I loved his book his stories of running around with his dad and brother racing lada what a guy!! That was a honestly told perspective of kimi. I loved when he told Brundle he was taking a shit! Priceless

[@2003ganeshlibra]

Kimi in his prime i.e 2003-2005 was probably the fastest driver F1 has seen.

[@marble25]

imagine thinking a driver, in his 18 years long F1 carreer, has a prime of 3 years. LOL!

[@2003ganeshlibra]

@@marble25 Prime is meant to be that? Your peak. And not half of your career.

[@deekay2578]

@@marble25 🤦🏿‍♂️

[@alessandrobarallo3368]

@@marble25 wheres the problem?

[@hippo4g93]

A race car driver is born , that is a natural skill ........ it cannot be acquired over time and experience

[@was6transam01]

The best part about Kimi, and why I love him the most, is his DGAF attitude.

[@takahashi_nakajima]

It is this man that held me on to watching this sport for 2 decades now. The day that he retires i might stop watching F1 all together.

[@vaporx]

Kimi is to Formula One as Ronaldinho is to Football. Both are an absolute delight to watch. May we see a lot more of the iceman in the coming years.

[@chriscox6463]

@aldas caught my enjoying the background music... Dancing a bit. Also Kimi is a stud. Keep up the great work!

[@rogerp6903]

His pass on the outside of eau rouge was one of the most amazing maneuvers I can recall

[@matumbable]

Interlagos with M.Schumacher in 2012. Their fight was great.

[@SiVlog1989]

If you ask me what the ultimate Kimi Raikkonen moment. Look up his qualifying lap at Spa in 2002, climbing up the hill through Eau Rouge and Radillon with blinding smoke from a car that suffered an engine failure... and he never lifted off the gas!

[@kishu222]

The guy went from P16 to P5 in 1 lap.. in an Alpha Romeo..!!!

[@zattwik]

Hey man. You just got me emotional thinking about the time after he retires. I have worshipped him as a driver for the past 15 years. Can't imagine F1 without the Iceman. :'(

[@Formerlyi]

Me and my dad couldn't stop laughing watching the moment where he went to the yacht instead of McLaren's paddock. What a lad. That moment alone turned me into a kimi fan

[@sketchokid6012]

I love how this got recommended at the time news of his retirement was released

[@JimmyRingz]

*"I was having a shit!"* Fucking love his Finnish honesty haha.

[@kynigh]

One of the greatest personalities ever in F1, I've been his fan since I started watching F1 when I was around 10 years old. I will definitely miss him when he retires :( greetings from Brazil

[@epicracer4436]

I am sad to see Kimi in mid field but he shall rise. the best personality in f1

[@jimcurt99]

Been my favorite F1 driver for years- he's the only one who has enough personality that I can actually do an impersonation of him... and of course the talent- he's really fast

[@ruslansalei3259]

11:41 theres just that something in that pic. Kimi has this strange, james bondish classic charisma.

[@crystalracing4794]

2003-2007 Kimi was the best driver in the world. Should've won three titles. I will miss him so much when he finally calls it quits. Forever my childhood hero.

[@russelltaylor1500]

Decent video but you completely glossed over the reasons why he suffered during certain points in his career. And didn't mention his driving style that hugely benefited him during the McLaren years but struggleed at other points. On joining ferarri Kimi struggled to get used to the bridgstones, and was further hampered by Schumacher's development direction for the f2008 which induced understeer and favoured massa's driving style. Kimis speed is shown in that season by how many fastest growing laps he had. It wasn't untill the rear tyres had stated to wear that the balance returned to kimis favour and he was able to set fastest lap. Lotus suited Kimi well, the car was developed on his feedback and the team trusted his feedback. Kimi was extracting the maximum from that car and the team atmosphere helped him do that. You can see how his performance dropped off in the latter half of 2013 and this was partly due to Silverstone 2013 when new tyres and camber restrictions were introduced making it harder for Kimi to get the car to handle how he wanted. 2014 showed kimis lack of adaptibility when it came to an understeering car. During 2015 2016 and 2017 kimis performance didn't quite match that of vettel, while kimis age may have been part of it. A lot of it was down to still not being completely comfortable in the cad and being the 2nd driver. In 2018 the car suited Kimi much better and if it wasnt for the vsc in Australia and the barhain mechanic issue Kimi would have been leading seb in the championship early on. Arguably Kimi would have been Hamilton's closest rival if you he hadn't had his strategy sacrificed and didn't have to run the old spec engine due to a failure.

[@Antti56785]

Spot on, mate! In 2016 Kimi beat Vettel in qualifying, but bad strategies from Ferrari made sure his races were compromised. In 2017 he was robbed three victories; Monaco, Hungary and Malaysia. 2018 were his strongest season after Lotus, but again mechanical failures (Bahrain, Spain and Abu Dhabi) and some mistakes in qualifying were mostly to blame that he finished behind Vettel in the Championship. In this case the stats are only half of the truth. Despite all the bad luck (which he’s had more than (m)any) he still is a World Champion with Ferrari and on most stats among the best. A living legend, who still can do miracles. I waited five long years and 113 races for the win and when it finally came, I screamed for joy.

[@russelltaylor1500]

@@Antti56785 I forgot about him beating vettel in quali 2016. Very true mate, shame he has been so unlucky over the years

[@theelf152]

@@Antti56785 You should have seen me in Melb 2013 when he won from 7th. I drove from Syd>Mel with a friend -new to F1 cause I had a feeling he might do something special.The lap time he did on tyres twice as old as everyone was just insane. Everyone was stunned, and I was giving it to all the Red Bull crowd who were giving me shit the whole race. My friend was stunned that I was right despite Red Bull being favourites.

[@KrazyKeith4]

I was at the U.S. GP when he won. And I've never physically been at a race where 2 of my favorite drivers, Raikkonen and Hamilton, finished 1-2. The fans there were going crazy. Memorable day for sure. And my bank still remembers that day too. Not gonna say what happened.

[@andreasliner7261]

Best thing ever happend in any race in Monaco is when Kimi walks right to the yacht and havinging a drink!

[@oo0024]

He’s the greatest of all time he beat everyone he’s a multiple time champion he’s absolutely the best race driver I’ve ever seen nobody can beat him that’s how good he was not one race driver to day in any car could beat him he won everything and every team wanted him but couldn’t afford him

[@FeelTheDrive]

First😁 great idea for a video! He's somewhat underrated for his skill, even though he's loved for his personality

[@yusinlee]

Great choice for that last picture :)

[@VigneshBalasubramaniam]

Kimi Raikkonen is still the GOAT.

[@Ticklestein]

I have been critical of your opinions and arguments before. But now you’re touching my all time favorite. The iceman. This is your make or break moment for me.

[@sbow2892]

When it comes to raw race pace, prime Kimi was probably the fastest this sport has ever seen.

[@David-nu6kw]

Leave him alone he knows what he's doing.

[@surajramesh2534]

@@mgers75 nah, 2nd behind Schumacher...arguably better than Alonso

[@sbow2892]

Arlo75 In his prime there was no one at the track who could challenge him if his car was working.

[@MaddoxRD]

@@sbow2892and the car had a front end he liked. Most cars he drove weren't built to his liking, like in the later part of his Ferrari years.

[@ardaakdeniz3905]

And you are probably wrong.

[@kingchefmurray557]

Can’t forget when he drove flat out without lifting through the smoke and debris that one time. In my top 3 of all time honestly

[@dhanarputra555]

Just like Casey Stoner at MotoGP. He has the raw talent like Senna but didn't give any shit about taking them quite seriously like other world champion. Pretty much resembled James Hunt characteristic minus the temper.

[@amramweismann6162]

Great review of my favorite driver of all times added with the data added by James Shunt below i hope he stay for another year or 2 or 3

[@colinecollard533]

Judging from his incredible 17th to 6th in a lap of the Portuguese GP I'd say he *is* in his prime. Seriously, when did a driver ever manage that in such an uncompetitive car?

[@F1Fanatics_14]

Great video Aldas! Kimi really has been a superb driver and with the rub of the green probably should have had more but he has left his mark on the sport and will forever be remembered when that sad retirement day comes!