He's Been Murrayed

Originally Posted by HSTDriver

Far more chance of Kimi being a one season wonder if you ask me, with the added kudos of being World champion I reckon he'll overdo the bars and strip clubs and wreck his career in a blaze of booze and topless dancers.......

Not sure I agree with this at all. I think this season Kimi Raikkonen has driven with a cool and calculating efficiency. A new team, new car, new tyre..he's acclimatised himself and delivered. Since France he has been the class act of the field.

He's claimed the number 1 position at Ferrari. I like Massa and think he's a good driver but IMHO not in Raikkonen's league. Some have criticised Raikkonen for switching off at times, others for not being a racer and harking back to Monza where Hamilton overtook him. From my perspective Raikkonen was showing great maturity. You don't race when you don't have the pace and equipment to do so competitively..take the points on offer and fight another day.

We've seen this in the past with Prost and Schumacher and I'd suggest Raikkonen is showing similar traits. I suspect that he will be very strong next year.

Originally Posted by Paul Dennis

Not sure I agree with this at all. I think this season Kimi Raikkonen has driven with a cool and calculating efficiency. A new team, new car, new tyre..he's acclimatised himself and delivered. Since France he has been the class act of the field.

He's claimed the number 1 position at Ferrari. I like Massa and think he's a good driver but IMHO not in Raikkonen's league. Some have criticised Raikkonen for switching off at times, others for not being a racer and harking back to Monza where Hamilton overtook him. From my perspective Raikkonen was showing great maturity. You don't race when you don't have the pace and equipment to do so competitively..take the points on offer and fight another day.

We've seen this in the past with Prost and Schumacher and I'd suggest Raikkonen is showing similar traits. I suspect that he will be very strong next year.

At times this year Kimi has looked like he couldn't give 2 hoots if he was driving for Ferrari or if he was working a saturday shift in Tesco's. When he gets a boot up his backside, he's prodigiously quick, no doubt about that, but he does seem to go into autopilot mode when left to his own devices, and his form suffers as a result.

If Ferrari can keep him motivated for a full 17 races, then he'll go well, for sure. But they'll be the first team that's managed to do it.

If that is the impression you get then I think you're wrong. Raikkonen, along with Hamilton, has been the class act this season. From France onwards....10,10,ret,8,8,6,10,6,10,10. As I said a new team, new car, new tyres, stepping into Schumachers shoes, the spygate affair. Seems to me he's been focussed, dignified and a worthy champion.

I'm not sure that McLaren had any trouble keeping Raikkonen motivated or focussed. They just had trouble with either providing him with reliable and/or competitive machinery. Time will tell but my suspicion is that having secured his first world championship he will have lifted a huge weight from his shoulders and will become very difficult to beat.

Originally Posted by Paul Dennis

If that is the impression you get then I think you're wrong. Raikkonen, along with Hamilton, has been the class act this season. From France onwards....10,10,ret,8,8,6,10,6,10,10. As I said a new team, new car, new tyres, stepping into Schumachers shoes, the spygate affair. Seems to me he's been focussed, dignified and a worthy champion.

I'm not sure that McLaren had any trouble keeping Raikkonen motivated or focussed. They just had trouble with either providing him with reliable and/or competitive machinery. Time will tell but my suspicion is that having secured his first world championship he will have lifted a huge weight from his shoulders and will become very difficult to beat.

You say from France onwards, and I agree his finish to the season was brilliant, but France was the tenth race of the season. Until France I would argue that Massa was doing a better job in the Ferrari.

It's easy to be motivated when you've got a reliable, winning car, anyone can be up for it then, but when the chips are down and Kimi is off the pace it sometimes appears that he'd rather not be involved at all.

If you choose not to see it then that's your lookout.

Originally Posted by HSTDriver

Far more chance of Kimi being a one season wonder if you ask me, with the added kudos of being World champion I reckon he'll overdo the bars and strip clubs and wreck his career in a blaze of booze and topless dancers.......

That's the career for me ! Where do I sign?

Originally Posted by HSTDriver

You say from France onwards, and I agree his finish to the season was brilliant, but France was the tenth race of the season. Until France I would argue that Massa was doing a better job in the Ferrari.

It's easy to be motivated when you've got a reliable, winning car, anyone can be up for it then, but when the chips are down and Kimi is off the pace it sometimes appears that he'd rather not be involved at all.

If you choose not to see it then that's your lookout.

I think France was the 8th Grand Prix of the season..of the other 7 he won in Australia...that leaves 6 others. Of those he came 3rd twice, had a 4th and a 5th and an 8th in Monaco. In this latter race he started from 16th on the grid. He had one other retirement.

Perhaps nothing special compared to the latter part of the season but a good enough start in a new car, a new team etc. Of course Massa was continuing a successful relationship with the team, understood the tyres etc. In that circumstance one might suggest his season disappointed somewhat.

It's no lookout for me....I just think Raikkonen proved himself the quality driver over the year, won more grand prix, won more points, set more fastest laps. Says it all really.

Of course only time will tell how his win will play out in years to come. Lets enjoy the racing and see if Kimi is a one championship wonder, a 'fair weather' driver, or a true racer.

More interested to see if Hamilton was a one-hit-also-ran

Many a-time a person comes onto the scenes in a blaze of glory and then slowly but surely vanishes into mediocrity...This is unlikely to be the case with Hamilton, but..........