The first two rounds of the World Rally Championship proved to be a real challenge indeed for rookie driver Kimi Raikkonen, the former Formula 1 World Champion.The Finn made a risqué move by leaving Formula 1 to try his luck in the WRC with Citroen Junior Team with the Red Bull sponsorship.
During the Arctic Lapland Rally, he hit a tree and finished well behind the leaders. Then, at Rally Sweden (opening round of the WRC), he bumped into a snow bank and again lost significant time.
The Corona Rally Mexico (Round 2 of the WRC) was even worse. Near the end of the race on Day 1, Raikkonen made a severe exit that turned into a horrifying series of rolls.
Fortunately, both he and his co-driver Kaj Lindström came out uninjured. However, the same could not be said of the car, which was totally destroyed.
But let’s hold off any harsh judgment on Raikkonen, who boldly did what most other drivers wouldn’t dare try — having nothing left to prove in F1 after a glorious career that began with a surprising move from Formula Renault to Formula 1 with McLaren in 2001 and culminated with a world championship at Ferrari in 2007 (his first season with the Scuderia), he decided to completely reinvent himself and take up a whole new challenge.
Don’t forget that other WRC drivers all took the long, "classic" road to where they are now. They learned the rally ropes over many trials and errors at regional, national and international levels. Raikkonen came in with virtually no rally background whatsoever despite his innate sense of speed and direction. He barely got time to test the C4. In fact, the testing session prior to Mexico had to be cancelled because he was complaining of back pains that resulted from his times in F1.
Raikkonen’s early results should definitely not cast a shadow over his first WRC season. All seem to agree that he has progressed a lot since the first round in Sweden and he was doing well in Mexico before that spectacular loss of control forced him to quit.
A year ago, Sébastien Loeb got caught in a similar situation while tackling a tortuous descent and, just like Raikkonen, his Citroen C4 went flying and rolled over.
The kid sure likes to go fast, but he has to find his limit. The crash in Mexico will teach him a lesson and, while he’s not the kind of driver who minds heavy pressure on his shoulders, he has his work cut out for him. His teammate Sébastien Ogier, who finished third in the last race, is considered by many to be the heir to Sébastien Loeb.
Raikkonen needs to make his mark. Let’s just give him a little time.
Source: Auto123
