Why Kimi is the world’s fastest man

Source: autocar.co.uk | by Alan Henry

Kimi Räikkönen is the man most likely to win any of the remaining grands prix this season. And paradoxically could well win not a single race. Stick with my logic, please, for another few sentences. Then think about it and tell me if I am wrong.

The thing about Kimi, more than any of his contemporaries, is that he is a totally self-contained operator, almost completely impervious to psychological pressure from his rivals. You can tell from his wrinkle-free face that this is a competitor touched neither by elation or disappointment. On his day he is a formidable competitor out of the Häkkinen/Schumacher mould, but when things go wrong he remains utterly impassive.

Reading his mind was never difficult, as a friend inside McLaren confirms: “During his time with us, you could be absolutely certain by ten o’clock on a Friday morning in the pit lane whether he would deliver a magical performance in the race, or whether we should pack up the car in the transporter and take it straight back to the factory.”

Kimi also has a reputation for speaking straight from the chest, something which even took Ron Dennis slightly aback at one point in their relationship. But Kimi is a winner; Romain Grosjean may have a bright future, but Kimi could be the first Lotus world champion since Mario Andretti.