“There was something odd happening between us,” Kimi Raikkonen reflects on Ferrari stint with Fernando Alonso
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Kimi Raikkonen, one time world champion hung up his helmet at the end of the 2021 season. The Finnish driver enjoyed a long career spanning across three decades. Raikkonen made his debut way back in 2001, and clinched his only championship in 2005.
Kimi Raikkonen was among the several veterans on grid in 2021. Spanish driver, Fernando Alonso returned to the grid last year after taking a two-year hiatus from the sport. The Spaniard drove for Alpine in 2021, alongside Esteban Ocon.
Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen drove for Ferrari in 2014, as the latter reflects on their time together. Raikkonen stated that there was something always very odd between the duo. Alonso certainly outperformed the Finnish driver that season, as he clearly had the better pace than his teammate.
“I think he’s always been very good,” Raikkonen told the Beyond the Grid podcast, as quoted by RacingNews365.
“As a teammate, I’m kind of certain that there was something odd happening, like between us. For sure, I didn’t have a very good year, for many reasons. I didn’t do that well, but we all know he’s fast every weekend,” he added.
Kimi Raikkonen on why he does not look much into qualifying stats
Kimi Raikkonen revealed that he was never annoyed with the fact that Fernando Alonso outperformed him at Ferrari in 2014. Moreover, the Finnish driver stated that it was favorable when a driver does not get to choose his teammate.
“I’ve never been in a position to pick who my teammate is, so it could be anybody. I think that’s good because it pushes you always and [forces you to] push each other. I don’t see any negatives,” the retired driver said.
Kimi Raikkonen added that he does not look much into the qualifying numbers, as he feels the main part of the weekend is on Sunday, when the main race is held. Raikkonen used to better his then teammate, Fernando Alonso in qualifying, but during the main race, it was Alonso who clearly did the better job.
“If you purely looked at the numbers of qualifying or this and that, then some people are more interested [in that]. Honestly, I’m not so fussed about winning against my teammate in qualifying. To me, the race has always been the important part of the weekend,” said Raikkonen.
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Nirmit Mehta
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