.....but I don't understand when I read people's comments about Kimi being an inferior driver to Fernando Alonso. And what in the world is this 'complete driver ' reputation that Fernando Alonso has? I do not see him that way.
LOL, yup, I'm about to go on a Kimi rant again. Hey, I've been really good this year, all things considered. There were plenty of moments I wanted to say something but I held my tongue. Anyways.....
Objectively speaking (hehehe, I know it might be unbelievable but I can be neutral), Kimi Raikkonen as an F1 driver is one of the best in his class. He has excellent racecraft and a great racing attitude. He is the fairest driver on the track in the 2012 field - and I'm not talking about his looks here although he is very easy on the eyes :D Kimi is just naturally gifted in motor racing, he is smart and extremely fast and sometimes his race performances even defy logic.
So when I read forum opinions who say he is not in the same league as Alonso, or even Vettel, I'm completely and utterly baffled. I respect Alonso as a driver. And the feeling is mutual for the other 4 World Driver's Champions; Schumacher, Hamilton, Button and Vettel. I will not get into the nitty gritty of each champions' championship but each of them won with a healthy dose of skill, luck and top notch racing technology.And none of them were perfect! They all made mistakes at one point or another and continue to do so to this day.
But Kimi, well the criticism on him has always been more extreme than others. Whether it is because most of the world press do not find his disdain for media related activities amusing or the perceived, completely wrong image of Kimi as a "I drive only for money" F1 pilot, I hae no clue but the guy doesn't seem to be able to win his critics over.
His comeback is more than impressive! From the last two races, he has appeared as McLaren days Kimi. I am always excited to see his performances but in Hungary especially, the magic laps he put in on worn soft tyres to basically jump 3 drivers after his second stop was a most superlative effort on the Finn's part. And it was something he was prone to churn out back in his McLaren days. And he appears to have his "iciness" back. I've been wondering about his killer instincts in the last couple of races, not to mention some moments in his Ferrari term but he has definitely got them back. His moves in Hockenheim and the way he was not going to yield to Romain Grosjean was a throwback to his heydays in McLaren. I was ecstatic to have him assert athority in his overtakings as that has been his main setback during race days. He was too nice in the beginning of the season - most likely due to the fact he wasn't completely comfortable in the car but now, apparently he's finally found the setup that he likes and can improve upon, he is the Quick(er) Kimi of old. The magical Kimi. And I know that his rivals are starting to get nervous with the reemergance of this Kimi. Some of them even wondered aloud about his drives.
To put it simply, I basically think that those who don't think Kimi is a driver to rival Alonso, Hamilton, Schumacher and Vettel's abilities, are damned fools and complete blind idiots! LOL!
