In the aftermath of an intriguing, albeit processional, Monaco Grand Prix, I am amused at the the accusation of team orders directed at Ferrari which supposedly gifted Sebastian Vettel victory at the expense of Kimi Raikkonen.
Vettel won the race fair and square. Granted Raikkonen was surprisingly quick all weekend and thus resulted in pole position, which despite ending his drought of top spot starts hardly generated a grin from the sullen Finn.
The next day during the race Raikkonen scampered off into the lead with Vettel chasing. It was obvious that Vettel was not going to try a move on the notoriously tight street circuit. Instead he opted to bide his time, conserving everything including his tyres.
When they pitted Raikkonen the German upped the ante and showed his true hand. The flurry of laps in clean air, that undoubtedly resulted in victory, were exceptional. When he dipped into the 1:15s the writing was on the wall. Clearly Raikkonen had been holding him up.
As it panned out Vettel was comfortably faster in the second stanza of the race, even after the safety car period he simply disappeared into the distance and Raikkonen simply had no answer. The Ferrari pit wall did not need to issue instructions to their drivers.
For the record, I am a firm believer that Raikkonen in his heyday at McLaren was the quickest driver in the world. He was fast-tracked into Formula 1 because he was a prodigious talent. His rise can be likened to that of Max Verstappen today, although when it happened the young Dutchman was still stumbling around in Crocs.
Sauber took him on despite the fact that he only had 23 car races on his resume. He was special. And indeed in his rookie year Raikkonen did enough for McLaren to choose him, at the time, over the highly rated and very capable Nick Heidfeld.
It was a shrewd gamble by Ron Dennis, but it worked because in Kimi he had the real deal. A driver who was blisteringly quick and a charger in race mode. Alas it all coincided with the Michael Schumacher juggernaut at Ferrari and in the end the fruits of the partnership were not fully enjoyed.
In those days Kimi smiled often. Cracked funny jokes and became one of the most loved and respected drivers on the gird. He moved to Ferrari in 2007 and promptly won the title for them, justifying why the Reds unceremoniously dumped Michael Schumacher for the Finn at the time.
But in retrospect Raikkonen peaked that year and has never really hit the heights of a title bid on a consistent basis since then. Then, he decided to quit Formula 1 at the end of 2009.
After two years in the wilderness of World Rally Championship and Nascar truck racing, he returned with Lotus in 2012. But it was a different Raikkonen. Yes he won a couple of races with Lotus, but that hardly set the stage for a future where he could challenge for the title.
And also things were different with him. Most notably his carefree demeanour was replaced by a Dirty Harry persona, never smiling, always sullen, angry at the F1 world. Difference is that Harry had punks to make his day, while Kimi has not.
His return to Ferrari in 2014 was fortuitous in a Prodigal Son kind of way, but Alonso owned the team at that stage and the sport’s most successful team were in severe decline.
Raikkonen was also in decline, gone was his clinical efficiency and raw speed which were his trademarks in his early days. Instead we had a vastly experienced driver, too often, involved in rookie style altercations and making silly mistakes on a regular basis.
Nevertheless, the arrival of his ‘mate’ Vettel at Maranello in 2015galvanised the Italian outfit. But from day one the German was better than Raikkonen and uncertainty surrounding the Finn’s future in the team was constant.
And he just got more miserable. While Vettel won three times that year and scored 13 podium finishes, Raikkonen only made it on to the podium on three occasions.
However Maurizio Arrivabene persevered with him, and together with Vettel they survived a hopeless 2016 season.
However, what has emerged in 2017 is a real prancing horse capable challenging the might of Mercedes. The Reds can sniff Formula 1 World Championship again.
No doubt this will piece irk supporters of The Iceman, probably have them stomping in their igloos, but it has to be said that Vettel is a far better option for the title than Raikkonen.
The German is arguably at his very best right now, extremely fast and ruthlessly consistent. His teammate is not. Therefore it is not rocket science for Ferrari to choose what horse to back.
For sure Raikkonen may have to cede positions to Vettel in the future as the title battle with Mercedes intensifies, but right now Ferrari do not have to make the call from pitwall because Vettel is doing his talking on the track – as he did at Monaco.
And all Kimi can do is pout and sulk, because when it matters he does not have that extra edge and sustained consistency to warrant his team backing him for another Formula 1 title.
He is the number two and unlikely to change, thus he might as well quit the Dirty Harry act and enjoy his final year or two at the top by cracking a smile on occasions.
Inside Line Opinion by Paul Velasco
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
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