This has come straight from the horse’s mouth. Kimi Raikkonen has revealed that he has been struggling to come to terms with the handling of the Ferrari because of the Bridgestone tyres. And surprise, surprise, he claims that Fernando Alonso is feeling the same way in the Mclaren.
Whenever a driver changes his team, it is only natural that he takes time to adapt to the new car and the team’s working. Given the fact that Kimi didn’t get to drive a Ferrari till late January, it was always going to be tough for him to adjust. Add to that the family-like working culture in Ferrari, to which concept the Finn is alien to, and it was widely accepted that he won’t be able to cope with the pressure. Plus team mate Fellippe Massa continued to outpace him in all the testing sessions. Kimi had his hands full.
But then Melbourne happened. Pole, win, all in the first race. But after that it was all downhill, culminating in the early exit in Spain. And now this confession has all but put question marks on his challenge to the world title this season. A race ago, he was the joint leader, after Barcelona, he is 4th and lagging again in the WDC. And this time not only the Mclaren drivers but also, Massa has stolen a march on him. When the time comes to decide the no.1 driver sooner or later, it won’t be a surprise if Jean Todt selects the Brazilian if the situation stays the same.
The reasons for this aren’t too oblivious. Massa has been driving a Ferrari since ages, ever since he was a test driver in his Sauber days. Then came the opportunity to drive for the Italian team last year and the fact that he idolizes Michael Schumacher & rarely is out of touch with him, it shows in the way he is performing at the Scuderia. Also a widely known fact that cometh the hour, Ferrari always differentiate between its drivers, some sort of a tradition there one might be forced to think. The point is Kimi is losing out and losing out big time, because for most of his time as an F1 driver, he has driven only on the Michelin tyres.
What is also beyond doubt that Fernando Alonso is also losing out. But is he struggling for the same reason or is it the ‘Hamilton hype’ which is getting to him? Because it is too a reality that the double world champion has driven only on Michelins so far and might be finding it hard to handle the tyre changes, but then it is also a fact that he has always overshadowed his lesser talented team mates, something which is not happening here and is without doubt, troubling his mind. Mclaren aren’t like Ferrari. They allow their drivers to race each other on track and fight it out among themselves. So if it goes to the wire, many think it already is, Alonso won’t be given any special status and Hamilton will be party to all the race winning strategies.
The hard truth is that Formula 1 is witnessing a battle of, presumably, the number twos of the two frontline teams. Both Massa and Hamilton some how negate the disadvantages of their team mates in their style of driving. Massa as explained earlier practically drives even his dirty-linen cart on Bridgestones and Hamilton s just in his first year in f1. What does he know about the difference between a Michelin or a Bridgestone on an F1 car? Point is that other drivers in other teams are feeling the same pinch. BMW’s Robert Kubica, Renault’s Heikki Kovalainen and Spyker’s Christijan Albers have also struggled to adapt to the tyres, having driven Michelins for the better part of their careers.
However all said and done, the next race is in Monte Carlo, a lottery of a race by all means in the F1 circus. The twisty tracks of Monaco offer a chance to both Kimi and Alonso to re-exert themselves on the WDC. Like it was meant to be. Otherwise it could be a long hard season for the both of them. Especially for Kimi.
Via: Planet-F1
