Kimi Raikkonen’s waited too long for his maiden Formula One world title and should already be a three-time champion, claims his manager David Robertson.
Raikkonen clinched the 2007 drivers’ championship in the season finale in Brazil, having overhauled Lewis Hamilton’s lead in the final races of the season.
And although Raikkonen was overjoyed with the success, Robertson actually thinks the Finn would have more titles under his belt if it was not for poor reliability at his former team McLaren.
"Two championships have been taken away from Kimi," Robertson said in an interview with Finnish television channel MTV3. "He would be the youngest champion ever without McLaren’s reliability issues.
"He has still risen to the top and we are very glad about that. But he should have three championships instead of one. He is an incredible talent."
Robertson also suggests that the departure of Fernando Alonso from Raikkonen’s former team McLaren is further proof of the difficulties the team have in handling drivers.
"Alonso’s departure was a bad thing for McLaren," added Robertson. "They can’t handle drivers. It is going to be interesting to see if they will choose (Pedro) de la Rosa or (Heikki) Kovalainen.
"Personally I fancy they are going to pick de la Rosa. Ron never knew how to handle two fast drivers. That was the case when Kimi and (Juan Pablo) Montoya were driving for his team.
"(Lewis) Hamilton was supposed to drive in the last few races with Kimi at McLaren at the end of the previous season (in 2006). He was so bad with Michelins that they decided to go with Pedro instead."
Ouch, looks like David’s hit the nail right on the head there…I know it was incredibly tough over the years where unreliability cost Kimi so much but instead of blaming and being bitter towards McLaren, I thought that it made Kimi stronger and it was proof that he kept his head up no matter what.
Heikki Kovalainen at McLaren for 2008
Heikki Kovalainen has been confirmed as Lewis Hamilton’s new teammate at McLaren for next year.
The Finn joins the Woking-based outfit on a long-term deal after an impressive debut season with Renault, and McLaren management are convinced that he and Hamilton will make a ‘formidable’ combination for 2008.
The team have also confirmed that Pedro de la Rosa will remain as third driver, with Gary Paffett staying on board as tester.
McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh said: "We had a number of options open to us and as always we want to make sure that we have the most competitive driver line-up and I think that Lewis and Heikki will be a formidable combination.
"Both enjoyed great rookie seasons in 2007 and share a genuine passion for winning and being the best. Heikki made a strong impression and Lewis’ performance so far has been outstanding and speaks for itself.
"I am confident that they will push each other on track and work well together off track. In addition with Pedro remaining our primary test driver alongside Gary, we really have a strong package and look forward to 2008."
Kovalainen found himself out of a job at Renault after the team opted for Nelson Piquet Jr. to be Fernando Alonso’s new teammate. But he is delighted at his new opportunity, especially as it means he will follow in the footsteps of compatriots Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen.
"I am so excited to join a team like Vodafone McLaren Mercedes," said Heikki. "So far I have been blown away by the dedication and commitment to winning which is clear through the entire organisation and I am really excited about our joint future.
"As a Finn it’s an honour for me to follow in Mika and Kimi’s footsteps. I haven’t really spent a lot of time with Lewis so far but from what I know I think we will work well together and do our best for the team."
Kovalainen’s new teammate Hamilton is equally looking forward to the arrival of the Finn, having endured a few tough moments with Alonso last year.
"As soon as the chequered flag went in Brazil I began to count down the days until Australia," said Hamilton. "I am really looking forward to 2008 and working with Heikki as my teammate.
"Together with the team we will do everything we can to ensure that our Championship challenge is as strong and focused as possible. My first year in Formula One was incredible and I was so fortunate to spend it with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and I hope that Heikki will enjoy his first year with the team as much as I did mine."
Fantastic news! I’m really pleased for Heikki as he really deserves this one. He has the speed and experience to be a strong driver in 2008 and hopefully he can be a bit of competition for Lewis – we’d like to see Heikki allowed to race against him, and why not? He’s a very sensible and McLarenish type of guy and I’m sure there’ll be a much more open and communicative relationship between him and the team, something that was lacking with Alonso this year. Good luck to Kova! – that makes him another Finn to be cheering for next year along with the world champion at Ferrari.
If you’d like to read a bit of what Heikki thought about Kimi this year, check it out here!
FUCK ISRAEL 