Kimi Raikkonen is widely regarded as one of the fastest drivers in Formula 1 based on his raw speed. The Finn was incredibly fast and we wonder how many titles Kimi could have swept, had he raced in the current F1 grid while he was in his prime!
Kimi’s talent was immense and his results in junior formula categories caught the attention of Peter Sauber. Sauber decided to give Kimi a racing seat for the 2001 season despite the Finn only competing in 23 single-seater races before making his F1 debut.
Raikkonen did not fail to impress. After receiving special permission from the FIA to race, he scored a point in his debut at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix. This caught the attention of Norbert Haug who pitched McLaren to sign Raikkonen for 2002.
Also Read: How McLaren boss paid $14 Million to rescue Kimi Raikkonen from Sauber F1 team
Was Kimi Raikkonen faster than Mika Hakkinen and Ayrton Senna?
Kimi Raikkonen arrived at McLaren in 2002, replacing fellow Finn and 2-time World Champion Mika Hakkinen. Kimi’s talent earned him a special place in McLaren as the team pushed to defeat Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari.
Many consider Kimi was even faster than Hakkinen when he arrived. There was even a rumour amongst some experienced McLaren mechanics that the Finn was faster than the legendary Ayrton Senna.
Although Norbert Haug, former Mercedes boss believes the answer was is not ‘black and white’ as it should be. He however acknowledges Raikkonen’s raw speed when he first arrived at McLaren.
He said, “Kimi had the raw speed when he came in with no experience in 2001. He was one of the three guys who was setting lap times quicker than their previous laps.”
He kept learning at racing speed claims Haug. “Even with tyres dropping off, Kimi was improving his timings,” he added.
Wish Kimi had won more
Kimi Raikkonen won the 2007 Championship title with Ferrari. But had luck favoured him, the Finn could have won a couple more titles.
In only his second season with McLaren in 2003, Raikkonen lost to Michael Schumacher by 2 points in the championship. But for Norbert Haug, the 2005 season’s title loss stings the most.
In 2005, McLaren was playing catchup to Renault after a poor start. A young Fernando Alonso was taking charge, but after the first 4 races, Raikkonen found his magic back.
However, he lost the title to Alonso who became F1’s youngest Champion at that time. McLaren lost the constructor’s battle by 9 points.
Haug claims the team’s struggles were more to blame than Raikkonen for their loss. He said, “We struggled at the start. But from 14 races we won 10, and still couldn’t win the championship.”
