Sebastian Vettel Affirmed Kimi Raikkonen Was “The Most Naturally Talented Driver” as Ferrari Relied on the Finn for New Upgrades

Kimi Raikkonen’s driving prowess often went under the radar in the latter years of his career, because of his unique personality, which the F1 community would love. However, his talent could not be slept on. Raikkonen, who won the world championship with Ferrari back in 2007, was considered one of the most gifted drivers on the grid by his former teammate Sebastian Vettel.

On the Pitlane Life Lessons podcast, Raikkonen’s former trainer Mark Arnall revealed that Vettel considered the Finn “the most naturally talented driver”. Whenever Ferrari would bring a new upgrade, they would first fit them into Raikkonen’s car because they knew he would give valuable feedback.

“They knew they’d get an ‘it’s sh*t get it off’ or ‘it’s okay, let’s work around it…Other drivers would say, ‘Okay the wind tunnel says it’s three-tenths quicker. We’ve gotta make it work’,” Arnall added.

Raikkonen’s natural ability was on display at its finest in the early 2000s. With McLaren, he never won the World title but gave all-time greats like Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher a tough time.

Overtake #168:
Kimi Raikkonen on Nico Hulkenberg (2013 Monaco Grand Prix) pic.twitter.com/Gjbm8JWmKE

— OvertakeCentral (@OvertakeCentral) February 1, 2023

The ‘Iceman’ would win his first and only championship with Ferrari in 2007, and to date remains their last winner in the drivers’ category. Vettel, who is a great friend of Raikkonen’s, spent the latter’s last years at Ferrari with him, before the Finn moved to Sauber (then Alfa Romeo).

Infamously, on Netflix’s Drive to Survive docuseries, Raikkonen gave a hilarious response to the reporter asking him about his motivation behind suiting up for F1. “It’s more like a hobby for me. So, obviously, I don’t need to do it if I don’t want.” Having already achieved legendary status in the sport, Raikkonen left F1 in 2021.