Kimi overrated?

[BlackSamurai]

Guys,

Kimi join Ferrari this year, beside those GP that Massa have DNF, Kimi constantly qualify and finish the race behind Massa.

Peter Sauber did mention in the public that Kimi lack of interest in technical part.


My question is, is Kimi overrated?

 

[prodigy]

I won't go as far as saying he's overrated. He's a super fast driver, on a good day when the machine doesn't break down. No doubt about it.

But for now, i think he's just not getting use to the car yet. Remember Massa has been with Ferrari for the past 3 years and will definitely hold an upper edge over Kimi.

However, Kimi has to be abit more careful with his lifestyle outside F1. He's been known to party real hard and get real drunk. He's been spotted in various night clubs and for all the wrong reasons. For a young guys like him, he should concentrate on his career more than anything else.

 

[BlackSamurai]

prodigy, I don't actually agree on the car familiarity issue, Alonso is new to McLaren (and the japanese rubber) and Hamilton even, new to F1 car and circuit.

 

[prodigy]

Hamilton and Alonso is slightly different because Hamilton never actually raced in any other F1 car before so he kinda fitted in Mclaren very easily. Alonso on the other hand raced for 3 or 4 seasons with Renault therefore he's actually alot more accustomed to Renault's way of running the team, not to mention the switch from Michelin to Bridgestone. Kimi and Alonso is in very similar position if you ask me. Kimi's had 4 or 5 season with Mclaren too and as such, he's so much more fammiliar to Mclaren's way of running the team. Of coz familiarity issue is one thing, the car's potential is the main thing. Had Ferrari prepared a super car for Kimi this year, i'm in no doubt Kimi will do much better. Problem is, Ferrari haven't given both their drivers a really competetive car.

And again, i'd like to touch on Kimi's lifestyle. He ain't helping himself by getting on the wrong side of the media limelight. Sports people nowadays need to live life like a monk, as long as their career is still on going. Gone are the days of boozing, clubbing and pubbing, womanizing, getting into fights and etc. You need to live a discipline life until the day you retire from the sport, and only then you enjoy the money you made. There's a reason why the likes of Michael and Mika are double world champion. You don't see them in papers for the wrong reason. On the other hand, people like Coulthard, Irvine, Button never really made it in F1. I'd like to think that lifestyle don't play a part but i'm quite sure it plays a wee bit in building a successful career.

 

[Daniel Lee]

To me, Kimi is overrated!
He just failed to be a successful successor to two great predecesors of the sports.
He failed to bring glory at McLaren and now those tifosis are saying that he's not a complete successor to M.S because he don't give a damn about technical issues and he does not provide the leadership elements that motivate the team like what M.S did before this.
He's not committed to the sports and all he wants is to par-ty...
I agree with prodigy that as an F1 driver, you need to lead a humble lifestyle as you will always be in the limelight.
I think Kimi will be better off to race in the Super GT series where racing and GT queens blend together well.
It will be hitting two birds with one stone for Kimi.

 

[drag_addict]

IMO, luck's just not with him..mclaren was suffering with reliabilty issues when he was with them n ferrari this year was not competative enough compared to mclaren(ferrari fans,dont flame me aar..)..give him a near perfect machine,n im pretty sure its gonna be an interesting 3 way fight thruout this year..:regular_smile:

 

[keithkeat]

hopefully.........he fight back on Euro circuit....

 

[si|verfish]

Gentlemen, I bring your attention to this;

Top Gear's CAMRRAD: Campaign for Real Racing Drivers

CAMRRAD: Kimi Raikkonen

In the ultra-clean world of modern F1, Kimi stands out as an ambassador of bad behaviour

At the 2007 season-opening Grand Prix in Australia, Ron Dennis, head honcho of McLaren for as long as anyone can remember, was describing how he felt about the team's performance to ITV's pitlane reporter, Louise Goodman.

He finished up by saying, "and the best thing is, they're such nice chaps" - which kind of indicates he didn't feel like that about last season's drivers...

That wouldn't have anything to do with Kimi's night-time trips to alternative drinking holes would it, Ron? Because in these days of well-behaved, PR-savvy F1 drivers, Kimi Raikkonen is a breath of fresh air; a man you can trust to live life to the full.

Which brings us neatly to his infamous trip to a London strip club, where Kimi allegedly decided that the normal strippers were a bit too sober for his tastes, so he did his own impromptu strip show. Needless to say, the bouncers weren't too impressed, and he was asked to leave.

But this story gets even more deserving of CAMRRAD when you consider it happened at the start of the 2005 season, the year when McLaren was desperately trying to wrest the F1 crown back from Ferrari's dominance in 2004.

Not a great way to get in shape, you'd imagine. Kimi's response? "It doesn't make me any slower." And stories of Raikkonen's misdemeanours continue.

Just after Michael Schumacher was presented with an award at his last GP by Pele, Martin Brundle was doing his pit walk and found Kimi having a drink by his car, unfazed by the hoo-ha at the front of the grid.

When Brundle asked Raikkonen whether he'd seen the presentation, Kimi replied that he hadn't, as at the time, he was "having a shit".

There's a definite lack-of-thought-for-the-consequences theme running through these tales - can you imagine doing anything more likely to piss off your future employer (Ferrari) than showing so little regard for its greatest ever ambassador and driver?

And that's exactly what makes him so deserving of the award. Big-balled driver, big-balled life.

 

[zephyr3d]

Another talented being going down the drain? What a waste, i've been supporting him since his Sauber days... Just hope that he can prove something, rather than being the almost_there_but_not_there_yet.

 

[evo3]

when he was at Mclaren, the car suck big time.... always had engine problems but when there is no problem, the car was really slow.

Just my opinion is that, lady luck is not on his side. If he had no move to Ferrari this year, we will get a lot of action between him and alonso. :)

 

[zephyr3d]

i'm torn between supporting Kimi and McLaren..

i've been a McLaren fan since day 1... but Kimi has been my 2nd favourite driver since Mika.. but itz kinda.. shitty when he decided to join Ferrari, which i least supported.. and also, McLaren having Alonso, which i have zero respect for him.

adoi.. hahaha.

 

[Jose]

i guess he suwey enuff, any team that he join sure hav a problem.. LOL

 

[Daniel Lee]

when he was at Mclaren, the car suck big time.... always had engine problems but when there is no problem, the car was really slow.

Just my opinion is that, lady luck is not on his side. If he had no move to Ferrari this year, we will get a lot of action between him and alonso. :)

I think having Kimi and Fernando in the same team is not a good decision.
It's like repeating the history of Juan Pablo and Kimi.
It will be worse than having Fernando to pair up with Lewis.

 

[zephyr3d]

or something like senna and prost?

 

[BlackSamurai]

zephyr3e, changed car?

 

[si|verfish]

So who's writing his obituary? You know you folks are being British Media-esque right?

 

[faisal]

hahaha. nice one , silverfish.

You can't keep a good driver down for long. It was a matter of time before Kimi (Top Gear Mag's CAMRAD) beat Massa when both finished a race. Signs were there in Indianapolis.

Sure the guy has a bit of an attitude/behavioural problem when away from the circuits. GREAT. Makes him human. Better than being Mr Ultra Clean.

what's important is behind the wheel his speed is never in doubt. In 05 how many times had he started way back (no thanks to mech failures in Qualifying) and blasted his way to the podiums? Plenty enough to impress.

Kimi did enough to beat DC & JPM when they were teammates. Massa's just another teammate to him.

Sure Kimi drives the cars hard till they break. But Team owners have made it clear it's their job to provide a car that's fast & lasts.

Give the guy a break. As it is all 4 top drivers have 2 wins apiece.Thank god it's not a 2 horse race.

 

[faisal]

BTW If Kimi was overrated,
Peter Sauber wouldn't have placed him in a F1 car despite his inexperience,
Ron Dennis wouldn't have hired him after one years experience to replace Mika,
and Jean Todt wouldn't have sought him as Schuey's replacement.

 

[zan]

IMHO, kimi was not overrated. he is just as fast as michael schumacher, fernando alonso but he is as not as aggresive as either as them when it comes to chase-overtake-pull away. besides, who else Ferrari can get as replacement to schumi? DC? jacques villenueve? takuma sato?

 

[drag_addict]

hahahaha...what a coincidence!..

That Finnish lad must be reading this thread coz after it came out,Kimi somehow proved himself by winning back to back..As if he wants us to know that he can drive as hard as when he parties!..Oh yeah sure some of you might say bcoz of pit strategies,hamilton pit flops,less traffic,bla bla bla..But winning is winning..Period!
For six laps he was pushing at an average of 1 sec per lap faster than the Spaniard before pitting in to create enough gap before his 2nd stop..

Bravo Iceman..


p/s:i'm not a Ferrari fan btw..