“The car was actually very good”– Kimi Raikkonen reveals his favourite most car he drove in his Formula 1 career spanning over 20 years.
Kimi Raikkonen is the oldest and most experienced driver in the current F1 grid, as his career almost spans around 20 years and almost goes parallel with his contemporary Fernando Alonso.
In the latest interview, the Finnish race driver talks about his long career and his most favourite F1 car he drove in all these years, and according to him, it’s hard to pick between his championship-winning Ferrari and the two McLarens.
“It was either the Ferrari that we won, [2007], yeah,” he said. “Or the McLaren in 2005, end of 2004. In 2006, the car was actually very good, but the engine wasn’t good enough obviously.”
“But I think those Michelin tyres, when you could kind of pick and choose what you want, that was obviously nice. Everyone could have their own wishes and there was some nice battles.”
Only the details have changed, not the driving aspect
With Raikkonen’s career revolving over two decades, multiple changes have happened in F1, and it’s not even identical to what it was back then he started, but for the 41-year-old, only the details of the sport have changed not the driving aspect.
Alfa Romeo’s Fred Vasseur believes Kimi Raikkonen is still motivated to race in F1🎙
“If we ask him to be there at 8am, he’s in the simulator at 8am sharp… with a smile on his face”.
📇 [Formula 1 Magazine] pic.twitter.com/S34wBgkcH6— formularacers (@formularacers_) August 7, 2021
“There’s more people, bigger motorhomes, bigger factories, all these things, it’s more… all the small details matter much more now than when I started,” he explained.
“But I think the driving part hasn’t really changed that much. Even the rules have changed; some cars feel faster, some slower because the rule changes from year to year, but, honestly, if it’s a five-second difference, you don’t really feel it.
“It’s a lot on the watch but, when you go around, it’s like the same qualifying to race. You don’t push that much because we are full tanks, but it doesn’t change the lap.
“Obviously in the earlier days, maybe the racing itself was a bit more fair. And if somebody was there, you didn’t push him off. Sometimes yes, but that was very different.”
