Over at F1 Fanatic there has been some debate over Fernando Alonso's apparent complaints against the McLaren team. There are the usual arguments for and against and I haven't contributed, mainly because I think Keith said just about everything in his article.
Kimi Raikkonen
Being me, however, I can't resist saying something, so I offer this brilliant YouTube video as good advice for Fernando; in fact, I really think it should be renamed Alonso's Blues. That's some mean harmonica playing too, for those who enjoy that sort of thing.
While all the fuss about Alonso erupts at F1 Fanatic, a suitably quieter little discussion has been going on at Ollie White's Blog F1 on the subject of Kimi Raikkonen. It begins as a realization that Kimi shows signs of becoming the 21st Century's Stirling Moss but then reverts to the usual consideration of Kimi's character.
And I think that "the Alonso Affair" demonstrates why we should have a lot more respect for the Raikkonen approach than we do. We can't have it both ways, after all, and it is unfair to berate Alonso for venting his feelings and then to dislike Kimi because he doesn't. If we have to consider character as part of our assessment of a driver (and I admit it's a huge factor in my assessment of Michael Schumacher), then we should be consistent at least.
It should be obvious that Kimi is handling his team mate situation much better than is Alonso. He has just as much cause for complaint in that he is paired with a driver who is proving much quicker than he was supposed to be, but Kimi shows absolutely no sign of being discomfited by that fact. Not once has he mumbled something about unfair treatment or favoritism; he just tells us the bare facts in his Finnish monotone, then gets in the car and drives.
I have been pleasantly surprised by how well Kimi has conducted himself in the Ferrari camp. At times he has been under severe pressure from the press to say something, anything, to indicate at least a little dissatisfaction, but he has not been drawn. And I don't think it has anything to do with an awareness that Ferrari would not put up with the kind of thing McLaren is having to deal with from Alonso; it is just that Kimi keeps himself to himself.
There are ego issues too. Much of Alonso's frustration comes from his perception of himself as the best driver in F1 - hence the grumbles about how much he puts into development of the car with no apparent favor in return. But Kimi races because he likes racing and, as a result, he has a Moss-like attitude to being beaten: just wait until next time, then we'll see.
Which brings us back to Stirling Moss. If ever a driver were treading in Stirling's footsteps, it is Kimi. There is the same unspoken recognition from most that he is the fastest, the same shaking of heads over his abominable luck, the same expectation that he will suddenly break through and become unbeatable. The reasons why that breakthrough never happens may be dfferent in each case, but it looks likely that Kimi too will fail to reach the ultimate goal of the championship.
Their characters are very different as well. Stirling is charming, enthusiastic and well spoken; Kimi is monosyllabic. Yet they deserve our respect for the same reason: neither complains about circumstances, luck or machinery.
And that is my point - that we should respect Kimi for his silence, rather than criticize him for not allowing us to see the real Raikkonen. In a time when the new man is expected to burst into tears at the drop of a hat and be comfortable with his emotions, Kimi reminds us that other ages have seen silence as a sign of strength. I like the guy and his deadpan demeanor - the Iceman doesn't crack.
Kimi Raikkonen
Being me, however, I can't resist saying something, so I offer this brilliant YouTube video as good advice for Fernando; in fact, I really think it should be renamed Alonso's Blues. That's some mean harmonica playing too, for those who enjoy that sort of thing.
While all the fuss about Alonso erupts at F1 Fanatic, a suitably quieter little discussion has been going on at Ollie White's Blog F1 on the subject of Kimi Raikkonen. It begins as a realization that Kimi shows signs of becoming the 21st Century's Stirling Moss but then reverts to the usual consideration of Kimi's character.
And I think that "the Alonso Affair" demonstrates why we should have a lot more respect for the Raikkonen approach than we do. We can't have it both ways, after all, and it is unfair to berate Alonso for venting his feelings and then to dislike Kimi because he doesn't. If we have to consider character as part of our assessment of a driver (and I admit it's a huge factor in my assessment of Michael Schumacher), then we should be consistent at least.
It should be obvious that Kimi is handling his team mate situation much better than is Alonso. He has just as much cause for complaint in that he is paired with a driver who is proving much quicker than he was supposed to be, but Kimi shows absolutely no sign of being discomfited by that fact. Not once has he mumbled something about unfair treatment or favoritism; he just tells us the bare facts in his Finnish monotone, then gets in the car and drives.
I have been pleasantly surprised by how well Kimi has conducted himself in the Ferrari camp. At times he has been under severe pressure from the press to say something, anything, to indicate at least a little dissatisfaction, but he has not been drawn. And I don't think it has anything to do with an awareness that Ferrari would not put up with the kind of thing McLaren is having to deal with from Alonso; it is just that Kimi keeps himself to himself.
There are ego issues too. Much of Alonso's frustration comes from his perception of himself as the best driver in F1 - hence the grumbles about how much he puts into development of the car with no apparent favor in return. But Kimi races because he likes racing and, as a result, he has a Moss-like attitude to being beaten: just wait until next time, then we'll see.
Which brings us back to Stirling Moss. If ever a driver were treading in Stirling's footsteps, it is Kimi. There is the same unspoken recognition from most that he is the fastest, the same shaking of heads over his abominable luck, the same expectation that he will suddenly break through and become unbeatable. The reasons why that breakthrough never happens may be dfferent in each case, but it looks likely that Kimi too will fail to reach the ultimate goal of the championship.
Their characters are very different as well. Stirling is charming, enthusiastic and well spoken; Kimi is monosyllabic. Yet they deserve our respect for the same reason: neither complains about circumstances, luck or machinery.
And that is my point - that we should respect Kimi for his silence, rather than criticize him for not allowing us to see the real Raikkonen. In a time when the new man is expected to burst into tears at the drop of a hat and be comfortable with his emotions, Kimi reminds us that other ages have seen silence as a sign of strength. I like the guy and his deadpan demeanor - the Iceman doesn't crack.