On Kimi!

I have to admit to something; I don’t like Kimi Raikkonen.  It’s not a very mature opinion because I have never met the man, but then again I don’t want to.  The reason is, however, based on experience.  I have spent most of my career working on the commercial side of the sport,  and a monosyllabic driver who hates doing PR and marketing activities for a team’s sponsors shows an arrogant disregard for the people that generate the money to make them rich and pay the team’s bills.

During Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Raikkonen was underlining his reputation for being difficult when he snapped at second engineer Simon Rennie on the radio, telling him to ‘Just leave me alone’.  Never mind that Simon was only doing his job, trying to help his driver.   The drivers, after all, don’t have the full picture of what’s happening in the race.  They only know what they can see. The team has a great deal more information.

But then Kimi won the race, and I therefore have to admit something else.  He did a fantastic job and, on top of a hugely consistent season, showed why he remains one of the world’s most formidable Formula One talents.

When he was announced as a driver for Lotus F1 in November 2011, I was enormously disappointed because a team like Lotus needs more sponsors if it is to continue in investing in the technology necessary to compete with the likes of McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari.  And Raikkonen doesn’t like working with sponsors.  Considering Lotus had just signed deals with Microsoft and Unilever - owners of Clear and Rexona - I figured that the last thing these companies needed was a driver who didn’t like sponsors.

However, what Raikkonen achieved on Sunday was to give Lotus F1 the one thing which is guaranteed to secure their future, and make their sponsors very happy;  success.  The consistency that has taken him to 3rd place in the World Championship for Drivers this season has been impressive, of course, but the victory on Sunday opens a new chapter in the team’s history.

There have been some observers who have said Raikkonen was ‘lucky’ on Sunday due to Safety Cars and the way the race unfolded.  I don’t agree because what Raikkonen did was used his speed, skill and experience to keep the Lotus E20 at the front when it mattered.

A look at the lap times shows that Raikkonen was not only fast but incredibly consistent. After the 2nd Safety car he did three laps which were within 0.03 seconds of each other. His next four laps were covered by 0.221s and he then set his best lap of the race, a 1:44.458, which was the third fastest overall lap.  This was the point at which he was under pressure from Alonso. Raikkonen responded, and then completed the final five laps with another string of consistently quick laps.

His performance reminded me of the lesson that Jordan Grand Prix learned in 1998 when Damon Hill drove for us.  His speed and experience counted when it mattered most, and his victory for us in Belgium that year give the team the victory it was desperate to achieve.

So to with Raikkonen.  There are many fast drivers, but not everyone knows how to put together the speed and consistency to make the most of an opportunity and win the race.  In doing so Raikkonen has achieved something that even Michael Schumacher has failed to do - a comeback win - and given Lotus F1, and its sponsors, the boost they need ahead of 2013.

I may never like Raikkonen as a result of his personality, but I can certainly appreciate the skill he has shown this season in bringing Eric Boullier’s team the success it deserves.  After all, everyone likes a winner.