2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg feels that Kimi Raikkonen could have achieved a lot more in his career with hard work.
Raikkonen is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. He made his F1 debut in 2001 and went on to produce some scintillating performances that fans will remember forever.
The Finn has won 21 races, and also the 2007 World Championship. In spite of that, some feel that with the amount of talent he possessed, he should have achieved more. Former Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg feels the same.
#Onthisday in 2007, Kimi Raikkonen became World Champion after winning the Brazilian Grand Prix. He ended up winning the title by a single point from both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso 🤯 pic.twitter.com/n9i4VqQ6DS
— WTF1 (@wtf1official) October 21, 2021
Raikkonen retired from F1 at the end of the 2021 season. His last race win, however, came at the 2018 US Grand Prix when he was with Ferrari. The Iceman left the Scuderia that year and raced for Alfa Romeo from 2019 until the end of his career. Consequently, spent his last three years in the sport at the back end of the grid.
Rosberg feels that Raikkonen could have achieved a lot more if he worked harder in his career.
Kimi Raikkonen does what he wants, says Nico Rosberg
Other than his driving, Raikkonen has also been a fan favorite for his unique personality. He is known for being very blunt with his opinions, and his distaste for appearing in media interviews. Towards the end of his career, he also revealed multiple times that he wasn’t there to win anymore.
In Netflix’s superhit docuseries Drive to Survive’, Raikkonen mentioned that he’s in F1 only because it’s his hobby. This laid-back attitude shown by the Finnish driver made him even more popular among old and newer fans alike.
“Leave me alone, I know what I’m doing.” – 8 years ago today pic.twitter.com/RnCszIpvnU
— Kimi Räikkönen #bwoah (@Kimi7iceman) November 4, 2020
“You would have to say that Kimi could have achieved more if he had worked harder,” Rosberg said to Ilta Sanomat. The German driver, however, does not question the former Ferrari star’s work ethic. He appreciates Raikkonen for being himself, but feels that his talent could have merited more.
“On the other hand, he is being himself,” he continued. There is no right or wrong way. No one can say that anyone has to work like crazy. He does what he wants and what is good for him. You have to appreciate that.”
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