Kimi Raikkonen is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time and he showed his talent when he bossed Pierre Gasly in a much slower car.
Raikkonen spent the last three years of his career with Alfa Romeo. It was in contrast to every other phase of his career, as he wasn’t competing for race wins or podiums in Hinwil. At Alfa Romeo, he spent most of the time in the back of the field, scrambling for the lower points finishes.
That did not stop him from showing why he’s one of the all time greats. Even in Alfa Romeo, he put in some performances that were incredibly iconic. One such incident came at the 2019 Austrian GP.
Gasly, who was driving for Red Bull was trying to get past Raikkonen in the race. Red Bull didn’t have the best car on the grid, but they competed for podiums on a regular basis. The Finn on the other hand drove a car that was nowhere near the pace of Red Bull’s.
In spite of that, he held Gasly off a large duration of the race, frustrating the French driver. The fact that it was a track like Austria, where overtaking is very common makes it even more special.
Kimi Raikkonen on why his Alfa Romeo stint was better than Ferrari
Raikkonen’s last race win came at the 2018 United States GP. After that year, he moved to Alfa Romeo and Charles Leclerc replaced him at Ferrari.
At Alfa Romeo, he did not compete for trophies but he insisted that he found it more enjoyable. At the Maranello based team, he always felt like he was under a lot of pressure.
“I have less work to do, you know,” he said to Nico Rosberg in an interview. Racing is the one side of it, and then I think I’ve been very busy. I have had like one or two PR days so far. But I like it like that.”
“I have a bit more freedom out of the racing, and I’ve always enjoyed the racing. It’s a lot more calm here,” he added.
Raikkonen left F1 at the end of the 2021 season, bringing an end to his 20 year long career. He will make his return to motorsport when he competes in NASCAR later this year.
