Kimi Raikkonen’s 2014 Season Is His Last Shot at True Formula 1 Greatness

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: March 8, 2014

commentComment        

Anyone who saw Kimi Raikkonen burst onto the Formula One scene in 2001 knew they were witnessing the arrival of someone very special.

He scored a point in his first race and showed more than a few flashes of brilliance throughout the course of the season. McLaren recognised his talent and after just one year in the midfield he had one of the most sought-after drives on the grid.

Packing at least as much natural talent as any driver of his generation, Raikkonen took to the front of the field like a duck to water. Two years after his debut, he was firmly established as one of the best drivers in F1.

Few people back then would have believed that, come 2014, he'd have just a single world championship to his name.

But that's exactly the position Raikkonen finds himself in today, for his is a story of criminally unfulfilled, even wasted, potential.

Most of the blame for this lies with his teams. In his 11 years of competing, Raikkonen has had a championship-worthy car on just four occasions—and he's never had a car which stood out as the clear best of the field.

It's difficult to say how much blame should be placed upon his own shoulders, because it's impossible to judge what impact his famously laid-back attitude has had on his career.

But what we can say is that this has been an era in which focused, dedicated and studious drivers—like Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel—have overwhelmingly come out on top. So it may be fair to say his approach hasn't helped.

His liking of a drink and a party has also come under scrutiny. This video shows perhaps his most famous drunken misadventure:



Fortunately, Raikkonen had enough talent to get away with it.

The Finn's first shot at the title came in 2003, his third season. He drove well enough to have been champion in a McLaren which was, on balance, probably the equal...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Formula 1

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!