Kimi Raikkonen: “Do you want me to let him go? Just tell me.”
In the media, Sebastian Vettel’s second statement reigned as he will have to fight against the three cars by the end of the year. At the start, each race has 20 cars and I think that each of them wants to win. What Vettel meant with this, remains a mystery; on the other hand, his teammate is the first opponent. It is very clear how Kimi Räikkönen is subordinate to Vettel and how he protected his back in Hungary in 2017. Therefore, his comment at the German Grand Prix 2018 is not surprising: “Do you want me to let him go? Just tell me. ”
That Vettel will fight against three cars is a little too optimistic forecast. First of all, where are both Red Bulls, who won three races this year and in spite of a drive-by crisis, they certainly did not say the last word? If it was meant for the championship, the mathematics leaves open doors to more drivers than just three. Perhaps he urged Hamilton and Bottas to cooperate, and Räikkönen will enjoy the last ride, as far as it goes, without any help?
Arrivabene, on the one hand, proudly stated that they have the right drivers for Ferrari, while Mercedes has a butler Bottas, but now he would rather have a butler Kimi and free-thrower Valtteri? I do not think it will. Team orders are something, and the freedom of racing is something completely different. If the team manager and the main driver do not know how to handle this, then we can not expect anything other than chaos.
I think that in this story is the worst position to be a serious loyal fan. Is Arrivabene or Vettel right? How will the title fight be held at all? Many questions arise, but unfortunately, there are few answers. If Kimi really switched from the ally to a neutral or even an opponent, this is the result of the leadership and behavior of the entire team. Kimi is really in the red car, but if they do not have the same views as the team, they do not even need to complete the season together. A similar story took place with Prost, Capelli, and Arnoux. I do not understand why Kimi was supposed to be an opponent, perhaps such statements are just more attractive to the crowd.
Sebastian Vettel’s statements are just a pebble in a mosaic, a clue that indicates that there is confusion in the team. Team leaders, fans and the media exert strong pressure because the desire to win the title is very high. Last year, at the same time, we saw how the team technically and sportfully kept under pressure. Therefore, such and similar statements do not seem appropriate, instead of talking about what is needed to achieve victory, they throw away the excuse themselves about how a victory will be difficult to achieve.
I think it would be best for everyone to re-listen a dialog once again after a radio conversation between Räikkönen and Clear from the German Grand Prix. It is understandable that Kimi did not know exactly what he would like to do since probably the team did not know this too. It will have to set clear goals, then figure out how to reach them, and lead the team with a calm but firm hand in the right direction, as good leaders do. Do you get it Maurizio?
Simon Jazbec
