I was looking for 2:15 for a long time. Just incredible as 3:03. I think there is ONLY ANOTHER ONE similar to 3:03 with no kerbs, by Kimi again of course !
The Ferrari mechanics and engineers would always marvel that Schumacher went exactly as fast as they calculated the car was capable of going. They were confused by Kimi, because sometimes he would go faster than they predicted the car could ever go.
@@madrooky1398 They definitely said that in 2007 I am looking for the quote I will link it here. I specifically remember them saying that too. Edit: I linked it below.
@@ciaronsmith4995 Nevermind, i believe that there was such a quote. But i recall a documentary whit a different quote. This doesnt matter much, point is, this is an very elusive ideal i wouldnt put to much weight on.
When they build the new car for 2004, Ferrari engineers weren't expecting Schumachr to go 3 seconds faster than they've predicted. And that was when Ross Brawn was leading Scuderia Ferrari. I don't care what kind of people they are in their personal life, but this story is one from their memories from their life in Motorsport, i think t's fascinating and amazing.
I love Kimi, and honestly, its a crime that newer fans don't know how good he actually was. Age is starting to get to him now but he still is a bloody quick bastard. Kimi on the McLaren era was just pure joy to watch. The sport should feel privileged to have a driver of Kimi's caliber stick around for so long.
it's simple, you just have to watch his onboards from most of actual races to see how good he still is. the most notable one from the last year's might be the first lap in Portugal 2020, in his 40's. I think Kimi is one of the best driver that has ever been on f1, in the top 10 easily, but reliability and some teams fucked him up. Could have been at least 3x WC
Kimi should have maybe two more WDC to his name. The mclaren years were fast but unreliable. But it’s a team sport. Not just a drivers sport. To quote Charles Jarrot “to finish first you must first finish”.
He was seriously fast in his early days. He compete against Schumacher, Barichello, Alonso in their primes and still won. If only McLaren were more reliable. Cost him 2 or 3 championships, especially 2005.
@@yesitsmojo24 2003 was more costly imo. Kimi was in the 3rd fastest car and was 2 points behind schumi. Had one of his stupid invidents not counted he'd have been champion. From memory australia he should have won but his pitspeed limiter broke and caused a penalty, in spain (?) He got a great start and crashed into a guy who had stalled on the grid (no chance to react) and michelin beibg forced to change their tyres.
@@yesitsmojo24 Kimi was clearly the fastest guy from 2003-2007 (2008 to but not obvious). It's a shame he didn't put in a bit more effort. Would have won more championships even with his bad luck.
Normally you can see the moment the car just starts to slide before the driver saves it with opposite lock. But kimis reactions are so fast, he steers into the slide the instant the rear loses grip. He creates a motion more like a 4 wheel drift so he still comes out pointing the right way!! Incredible stuff.
Especially around 2:10 driving from the pits. The video doesn't show any big movement from the car but Kimi turns the wheel rapidly 90 degrees to right and then back.
It’s like he has a supercomputer built in. He not only reacts but seems to know the second steer angle the car will need. This he does before he gets feedback. Amazing
@@mclark23 I think his reaction was simply "lots of countersteering now" and he just turns the wheel back to original position when he feels the rear stops sliding too much. Doing that in high speeds is obviously very dangerous. (It's still small wonder he is still able to sit in that narrow space with cojones that big.)
Kimi seems to me to be one of those guys who makes difficult job look easy and not make a fuss about it. There are people who oversell themselves complaining about each little thing and how difficult their job is and even an average result they will make it look spectacular. The funny thing is these are the kind of people who get all accolades by media and pundits. They give them content. Kimi gives no content. There are people who undersell like Kimi and there are people at opposite end of the spectrum who oversell.
when you mentioned complaining and Kimi not making a fuss, I remembered the time at the Montreal GP leaving the pits and there was a red light, Kimi was first out of the pits and stopped at the red light. Lewis Hamilton was daydreaming ran into the back of him and put both of them out the race. I thought Kimi was going to go hit Lewis or scream at him and he walked over and put his arm on Lewis' back and just pointed at the red light lol. No drama. edit: here it is ua-cam.com/video/-c6w1Zmox08/v-deo.html
I think the Finnishness has lot to play in. We don't usually brag with our careers or achievements, only when our jobs define your life and person overall(like rock star or president for example), and even then it comes naturally. We don't like big mouths and even if you're millionaire you can be asshole. Being an asshole is recognized every time, no matter how much money or power you may have. We have lot of very intelligent and hard working people, yet you don't hear about us too often and I like it.
He's purely instinctive. When rear tyres just "unglue" from tarmac, and car starts to rotate, he's hands just steer into that rotation without any emotion attached or thinking effort. There's no time for "feeleng or thinking", he's only constantly prossesing the signals and reacting to them accordingly.
To be an f1 driver u do need that so called 'talent'. Ppl like Max, Lewis, Alonso, Leclerc, Vettel all have that. But Kimi and Ayrton was a natural. An extra sixth sense to absolutely feel every atom of the car he is driving in. Maybe i'd say Alonso is a natural too, he is probably the most adaptive driver to ever grace motorsport. He can bring out the most out of any car he drives, probably even more!
@@squeakybunny2776 Well, Ocon has been doing absolutely well. But Alonso is nearing 40 years old, he also had a 2 year hiatus away from f1. As much as i like Alonso i doubt he will find his prime form again.
During his time as Lotus brand ambassador Jean Alesi said:"Kimi Raikkonen is probably the most naturally fast driver I've ever seen." I think he is spot on. There are different kinds of fast: Strategically and tactically fast like Alain Prost - only drives as fast as he calculated is needed ; obsessively/fanatically fast like Gilles Villeneuve and Ayrton Senna - believing they're unstoppable and are pushed by spiritual beliefs, and in Senna's own word "divine providence" (sadly probably also the reason they both are dead) ; technically fast like Michael Schumacher - being able to develop the car to maximize their own efficiency, and ambitiously fast like Niki Lauda - not naturally gifted but very hard working to improve themselves ever more by constantly analyzing themselves and their weaknesses. Then there are naturally fast drivers like Kimi Raikkonen. I'd say the late Ronnie Peterson fits this category. I.e. drivers who are just born with an immense driving skill and therefore just have a natural gift to be immediately fast with any car with seemingly little to no effort - as proven by these Nascar guys commenting on Kimi. Basically these kind of drivers don't (have to) try and be something more or to motivate themselves to do better, they're just being themselves and feel the best being just that. Naturally fast means they're "cool and fast" unlike the obsessively fast driver to whom this is a fiery passion as if were a religious war and as if the fate of the world depends on them winning. I believe that a good measure of raw race pace is the fastest lap. Kimi Raikkonen has the 3rd most fastest laps in the history of F1 behind only Schumacher and Hamilton. Both of those are 7 times world champions... Now, we must remember two things here: 1. Unlike Schumacher and Hamilton, Raikkonen never drove a dominant car for many consecutive seasons. Ferrari won a record 6 consecutive constructors' titles during Schumacher's time and Mercedes improved upon that record with 7 consecutive constructors' titles during Hamilton's time. 2. Raikkonen raced against *both* Schumacher and Hamilton. During Schumacher's Ferrari domination era and Hamilton's Mercedes domination era. These two factors makes his 3rd most fastest laps in F1 history appear even more impressive. As for the "naturally fast" thing. I think that Kimi's first lap in the Portuguese GP driving the uncompetitive Alfa Romeo and going from 17th to 6th proves that he is still naturally fast in his 40's. If the new cars for 2022 allows more flat-out racing and Kimi develops the car I really believe he will surprise quite a few.
Schumacher dominated Massa far more than Raikkonen in the same car. Raikkonen got fastest laps because he was driving fastest cars in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2018. Schumacher had fastest cars in 2002 and 2004 only.
I think your comment worth's a ton!! I didn't know this statement from Alesi. He used to be my fav racer before Kimi came. I consider Alesi in the "naturally Fast" category as well. Very unlucky too !!
Kimi has been the best modern example of a pure driver and we've all known it for years; Alonso can give him a run but you never bet against a Finn behind the wheel; especially that one. Doesn't matter what surface they're on, doesn't matter what car it is or what shoes it's wearing; Kimi will make it go fast.
Most of these are McLaren footages. McLaren gave him oversteery car which suits him the best. Also F1 used to show who is the fastest because drivers gave their best in every lap. Now it is all about saving fuel, saving tires, saving battery, lame.
@@mtrps_ Yeah during the race, F1 has never been so one sided like it is now. In the 2000s Mclaren, Ferrari, Williams all regularly got wins and teams like bmw sauber, Jordan etc snagged occasional wins too.
Those cars also had traction control so 2008 and beyond ones are saves without TC. Also, 2005 was also about saving tyres since you have to make one set last the whole race.
The only car he incredibly had trouble with was the 2014 Ferrari F1 car, but every other car he’s seem to have control over like TC is in every car he drives in, it’s amazing. And I also see he rarely lifts when he tries to straighten the car.
@@GoatedAtNFS He won because he put in an awesome performance while having the second best car on the grid. However, that doesn't mean he's been good. That would be like saying Bottas has been good because he wins every 10 months or so while picking up loads of podiums but being beaten comprehensively by Lewis and now, Max.
Prime Kimi is more impressive than prime Lewis. Kimi's 2005 season is a wonder the way he extract every single performance out of the car. Fastest in quali at Monza despite carrying enough fuel for a 1 stop strategy against other's 2 stop, midfield grid position to finish on the podium at Silverstone, Magny-Cours, Suzuka, dominant at Barcelona and Monaco. Give Kimi a Mclaren, a set of grippy and durable Michelin and witness a masterclass of driving.
@@shooter7a Yup, that is true. I'm more thinking about peak performance at a certain point in their career. Kimi's Mclaren years is a tale unfulfilled for the championship but he really put in stellar performance during those years,more so than Lewis.
What would you even describe as prime lewis? He was competing for a wc the moment he got into an f1 car as a rookie. not many people could do that as we've seen. dont see the reason to bring down lewis in this comparison. both are great drivers in their own respect. theres a reason lewis said kimi was his favorite driver.
Imagine Kimi in the current Mercedes or RedBull, he wouldn't be leading by a few seconds, he'll be leading by a few minutes "Kimi you can pace yourself", "Bwoah, leave me alone, I know what I'm doing!!"
@@Orcawhale1 In 2018 he was within a tenth of Lewis and Seb (in qualifying) despite being almost 10 years older. He was also consistently quicker than Bottas (by up to 4 tenths on tracks like Spa and Monza) and beat Bottas in the championship despite having 4 DNFs to 2. In the first half of 2019 he was also destroying the midfield. I think he would do fine but never really gets a chance.
According to Mika, Finns start racing at a very young age and on loose surfaces such as gravel, dirt, and mud. They would train in those conditions all the time. In turn, this level of training creates supreme car control which is why Finns are usually in high demand when they come around.
It is not about that the nascar people think that f1 driver couldn't drive. But not everyone in nascar and most definitely most of the USA doesn't know Kimi. When he appears on your screen at race day, he might be a nonamer, but after few nice laps and overall quickness makes him well known before the race ends. After saying this I was thinking some names in nascar drivers and came to stunning amount of names: 0. Still I don't think that nascar driver couldn't drive.
@@trumpet43samurai Kimi was not bad at NASCAR at all, the commentators all said his debut race was unbelievable. He was offered to do more but he didn't want to. To jump into a truck with 0 running and go top 15 in Charlotte is unreal. It's way harder than WEC/Indy. I watch NASCAR, Charlotte is probably the HARDEST oval on the calendar. It's like putting a rookie in an F1 car around Monaco as their first race with no testing.
@@ciaronsmith4995 No one else would get this praise for a top 15 in trucks at Charlotte. He, like all other f1 people who try NASCAR, did very mediocre.
@@vinigretzky97 I would point to that being the reason you don't see him on the podium so much anymore. I refuse to believe he's getting too old for this game haha
@@PNWhashmits Modern F1 cars can simply not be driven fast above the limit anymore. With the short wheelbase you saw the V10s twitching and sliding around constantly. Schumacher is another example of that. With the modern long wheelbase, once its sliding its over and you can be lucky not to spin.
As of 2021 honestly, I think Kimi is the third or fourth best driver even now, behind Lewis, Max and maybe Leclerc. I'd love to see a championship battle of 2005 Kimi and 2020 Lewis without reliability being a bitch, it would be so tight!
Kimi is in prime was a force to be reckoned with. I think he was just unlucky a lot of the time. I think he’s also a quite guy and so teams don’t really pay attention to him and build the car around the over driver which isn’t he’s preferred driving set up.
@@hMint kimi has a season with the most fastest laps which looks very similar to Hamilton numbers. Also the fact he has 100 podiums but only 1 championship feels a bit wrong. It’s off, usually someone with those numbers have 3 championships. So this is why I believe kimi is one the unluckiest greatest drivers.
Kimi is honestly so underrated in this day and age these newer fans forget Kimi is a always will be 1 a f1 champion and 2 a well rounded driver with time in nascar trucks and rally
The 2019 Germany race is what I was looking for and you got it in the video pretty cool !! All the drivers that lost control in that turn went into the barrier some got out like Lewis others couldn’t like valteri and Charles but Kimi was the only one who didn’t damage the car and got on with the race. Amazing stuff once again by who is,according to me, not only super talented but the fastest driver, until this year Lewis took over quite a few track records from him , Kimi Raikkonen .
I've watched F1 for 23 years, since I was 4. Boy has it been a ride watching my fellow Finn in F1. Watching Kimi has been the best and worst thing ever at the same time. Absolute masterclass with pure unluckiness. Bottas has the unluckiness but lacks the sheer pace. Not even sure there are any Finns after this year.. Its actually pretty emotional already when I think of Kimi driving his last lap in F1.
He didn't exactly race against Senna for championships though, and with Alonso yes they were head to head for a season but in 2003 kimi lost a driver's championship by 2 points in a 2 year old mclaren, pretty sure it was around then when he told Ferrari who should replace him
3:26 i think was the best ive seen. The way how he keeps the car from totaly slipping away is amazing. We all saw the best of F1 slipping away that race and he just knew exactly how to keep the car away from the wall.👏🏼👏🏼
Kimi has the same qualities as Schumacher did. Both like an oversteering car, because that's just a part of how they get the car around the corner. Mika Häkkinen also had a tail-happy style.
his driving style has actually influenced mine…i mainly use his and senna’s style when driving…senna for the throttle and kimi with the steering..and it’s amazing
I would say he is probably the best driver I’ve watched till now. He controlled fu*king alfa romeo like nothing. Imagine hime in a Mercedes or ferarri of today. He would lead despite his age.
That save at 1:42 is just amazing! If he didn’t get that under control he could have gone straight into that barrier head on. Something you can’t teach!
3:46 is unbelievable. The amount of control and steering input at the exact moment it’s needed. He is reacting in microseconds, if not faster.... Raikko-seconds
I just recently watched his Monaco 2005 lap and then Monza 2018. He was scary good when he really was in the mood. Just imagine how many titles he'd won if he really put his mind into F1 like Senna, Prost and Schumacher. Coulthard said he was lazy but I think it was just that Kimi always wanted to have a life outside of F1 too.
I can tell you from watching that truck and Xfinity race Kimi ran in 2011, he was not in the greatest equipment. For what he had, he did amazing for having 0 stock car experience. He really impressed me.
Absolutely. His race in Charlotte was also impressive, that is not the easiest place to make a debut. No other driver could have done that well with such little prep time (coming from F1). People don't realize Trucks are way harder to adjust to than Indy Car for an F1 driver.
I love how this dudes acting like driving in a loop is hard for a guy that grew up essentially with a rally track in his backyard and spent most of his career racing f1. The Finns are the best drivers in wrc and most other motorsports for a reason
2:11 , he countersteers for 6 frames, this video is at 25 fps, that means he corrected for 240 milliseconds. the fastest human reactions are somewhere below 200ms, so it took him within half a second from realizing it was sliding, to fully correcting and exiting the corner. That includes lowering the throttle, steering, and then getting back on the throttle and steering straight. Even more impressive is that at roughly 210kmph, in the time it took him to fully correct, he traveled 14 meters. Mistakes at those speed mean that if you're even off your game for a 1 seconds, you are in a barrier.
Amazing car control. But its not just that. He also knows a lot about mechanical stuff. Probably more than any other driver currently on the grid. Kimi even used to build his own carts when he was just a kid. He would weld the chassis, assemble engines, build carburetors etc... His dad knew how hard it is to get into F1, so he hoped that some team would at least hire him as a mechanic. Its all in "The Unknown Kimi Räikkönen" book. I recommend everyone who likes F1 should read it.
Kimi drove on instinct, he responded to the car before you could even think of what it was about to do. He knew exactly what to do without thinking about it. No amount of practice or experience will make anyone such a driver. You can clearly see he doesn't think, his mind is blank and he lets his hands do the driving unconsciously.
Avg person: "Omg Kimi is about to lose control!" Kimi: "Bwoah, it's just a Scandinavian flick for when I go into the corner. It's a common thing in Finland"
☺️...who'd have think it, eh. I remember an episode of Top Gear, where Mika Hakkinnen instructed James May in handling snowy conditions...the fins know how to handle oversteer, before they learn how to piss.
The length of Finnish winter is like less than 3 months in southern Finland where Kimi comes from, but yeah you're correct it helps a lot. You also have to pass mandatory _winter and extremely slippery conditions_ driving tests for everyone in Finland who's getting a driver's license.
His reactions were at light speed and he knew exactly what to do without even thinking about it,he became part of the car,the brains part,that keeps the car alive...
One of the car magazines did a feature once where they tried to measure the difference between taking a corner with and without a 4 wheel drift. The theory was that the drift put you into position for the corner exit earlier. But it takes a special talent to work with oversteer at the speeds that Kimi does.
I think he's been putting way less fuel in to get a car that's more agile for his driving style and then short shifting for most of the race to balance it
My favorite: 3:03
Also unbelievable: 3:22
Part 2 can be found here: ua-cam.com/video/Z353bnPhrqE/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/1I_OhBKOK1s/v-deo.html
I was looking for 2:15 for a long time. Just incredible as 3:03. I think there is ONLY ANOTHER ONE similar to 3:03 with no kerbs, by Kimi again of course !
Must be all that Finnish WRC experience they get just going to the pub. Seems Finns know how to hang it out and bring it back.
Though there was Spa 2008 🤦🏻♂️
My favourite is 2:47
The Ferrari mechanics and engineers would always marvel that Schumacher went exactly as fast as they calculated the car was capable of going. They were confused by Kimi, because sometimes he would go faster than they predicted the car could ever go.
Thats not how i recall interviews with Ferrari mechanics. But fair enough Kimi is one of the best.
@@madrooky1398 They definitely said that in 2007 I am looking for the quote I will link it here. I specifically remember them saying that too. Edit: I linked it below.
@@ciaronsmith4995 Nevermind, i believe that there was such a quote. But i recall a documentary whit a different quote.
This doesnt matter much, point is, this is an very elusive ideal i wouldnt put to much weight on.
@@ciaronsmith4995 If you find the quote just reply here
When they build the new car for 2004, Ferrari engineers weren't expecting Schumachr to go 3 seconds faster than they've predicted. And that was when Ross Brawn was leading Scuderia Ferrari. I don't care what kind of people they are in their personal life, but this story is one from their memories from their life in Motorsport, i think t's fascinating and amazing.
Kimis just got traction control build in.
And, hes finnish
Well in some of those saves he did have traction control. Not to disregard his talent of course just stating the fact
When u driving on ice in Finland u get traction control built into u
It's Kimi, He doesn't have Traction control, Traction control has him.
@@vaibhavmugulavalli3366 as a Finn I Will soon know that ;)
Everyone: Kimi has the best car control
Kimi: It's just a hobby for me.
Maybe, but he will not have the drink 😜
Still Kimi: "...Now leave me alone. I know what I am doing."
Everybody: Kimi has the best car control
Car to Kimi: What new trick would you like me to show you today?
Kimi: 💩😓
once he said he was in F1 just because of the racing. I guess the hobby was just one of his "leave me alone" comments.
You mean; bwoah, it's just a hobby for me.
I love Kimi, and honestly, its a crime that newer fans don't know how good he actually was. Age is starting to get to him now but he still is a bloody quick bastard. Kimi on the McLaren era was just pure joy to watch.
The sport should feel privileged to have a driver of Kimi's caliber stick around for so long.
it's simple, you just have to watch his onboards from most of actual races to see how good he still is. the most notable one from the last year's might be the first lap in Portugal 2020, in his 40's. I think Kimi is one of the best driver that has ever been on f1, in the top 10 easily, but reliability and some teams fucked him up. Could have been at least 3x WC
Back in 2018, at 38 years old, he was still coming close to Seb and Hamilton in qualifying pace (within one tenth) at most tracks. It is amazing.
@@gontran8638 He is super talented but also lazy and has a bad work ethic, that's why he never peaked very long.
@@tygobermind3640 and what have you done? I think he's enjoyed himself
@@jezhopo7221 Nice ad hominem, I'm not wrong though. Do your research.
Kimi should have maybe two more WDC to his name. The mclaren years were fast but unreliable. But it’s a team sport. Not just a drivers sport. To quote Charles Jarrot “to finish first you must first finish”.
He was seriously fast in his early days. He compete against Schumacher, Barichello, Alonso in their primes and still won. If only McLaren were more reliable. Cost him 2 or 3 championships, especially 2005.
@@yesitsmojo24 2003 was more costly imo. Kimi was in the 3rd fastest car and was 2 points behind schumi. Had one of his stupid invidents not counted he'd have been champion. From memory australia he should have won but his pitspeed limiter broke and caused a penalty, in spain (?) He got a great start and crashed into a guy who had stalled on the grid (no chance to react) and michelin beibg forced to change their tyres.
@@myco9253 Good points
@@yesitsmojo24 Kimi was clearly the fastest guy from 2003-2007 (2008 to but not obvious). It's a shame he didn't put in a bit more effort. Would have won more championships even with his bad luck.
WDC or not....my god was he fun to watch....
Normally you can see the moment the car just starts to slide before the driver saves it with opposite lock. But kimis reactions are so fast, he steers into the slide the instant the rear loses grip. He creates a motion more like a 4 wheel drift so he still comes out pointing the right way!! Incredible stuff.
Especially around 2:10 driving from the pits. The video doesn't show any big movement from the car but Kimi turns the wheel rapidly 90 degrees to right and then back.
his perception is so fast
It’s like he has a supercomputer built in. He not only reacts but seems to know the second steer angle the car will need. This he does before he gets feedback. Amazing
@@mclark23 I think his reaction was simply "lots of countersteering now" and he just turns the wheel back to original position when he feels the rear stops sliding too much. Doing that in high speeds is obviously very dangerous.
(It's still small wonder he is still able to sit in that narrow space with cojones that big.)
He drives on such a thin edge, and reacts like he's waiting for it to happen to immediately make the correction. He's a freak.
Kimi seems to me to be one of those guys who makes difficult job look easy and not make a fuss about it. There are people who oversell themselves complaining about each little thing and how difficult their job is and even an average result they will make it look spectacular. The funny thing is these are the kind of people who get all accolades by media and pundits. They give them content. Kimi gives no content. There are people who undersell like Kimi and there are people at opposite end of the spectrum who oversell.
when you mentioned complaining and Kimi not making a fuss, I remembered the time at the Montreal GP leaving the pits and there was a red light, Kimi was first out of the pits and stopped at the red light. Lewis Hamilton was daydreaming ran into the back of him and put both of them out the race. I thought Kimi was going to go hit Lewis or scream at him and he walked over and put his arm on Lewis' back and just pointed at the red light lol. No drama.
edit: here it is ua-cam.com/video/-c6w1Zmox08/v-deo.html
I think the Finnishness has lot to play in. We don't usually brag with our careers or achievements, only when our jobs define your life and person overall(like rock star or president for example), and even then it comes naturally. We don't like big mouths and even if you're millionaire you can be asshole. Being an asshole is recognized every time, no matter how much money or power you may have. We have lot of very intelligent and hard working people, yet you don't hear about us too often and I like it.
@@moonchant +1 I like that too. Thank you for your insights. Finns always seem really cool to me.
He's purely instinctive. When rear tyres just "unglue" from tarmac, and car starts to rotate, he's hands just steer into that rotation without any emotion attached or thinking effort. There's no time for "feeleng or thinking", he's only constantly prossesing the signals and reacting to them accordingly.
Car's backend steps out
Other drivers: That was dangerous!
Kimi: Meh...
Bwoah
Normal
Bwoah
Kimi: I was taking a shit 😅
Kimi :"it's normal"
To be an f1 driver u do need that so called 'talent'. Ppl like Max, Lewis, Alonso, Leclerc, Vettel all have that. But Kimi and Ayrton was a natural. An extra sixth sense to absolutely feel every atom of the car he is driving in. Maybe i'd say Alonso is a natural too, he is probably the most adaptive driver to ever grace motorsport. He can bring out the most out of any car he drives, probably even more!
What is your take on Alonso vs ocon this year so far then?
@@squeakybunny2776 Well, Ocon has been doing absolutely well. But Alonso is nearing 40 years old, he also had a 2 year hiatus away from f1. As much as i like Alonso i doubt he will find his prime form again.
Id say hamilton has that feel for the car as well.
@@barrybraynen8786 I agree with you, however I'm still yet to see him win at Le Mans or doing some Rallying...
@@MiguelMedV Maybe when he retires we will see
During his time as Lotus brand ambassador Jean Alesi said:"Kimi Raikkonen is probably the most naturally fast driver I've ever seen." I think he is spot on.
There are different kinds of fast: Strategically and tactically fast like Alain Prost - only drives as fast as he calculated is needed ; obsessively/fanatically fast like Gilles Villeneuve and Ayrton Senna - believing they're unstoppable and are pushed by spiritual beliefs, and in Senna's own word "divine providence" (sadly probably also the reason they both are dead) ; technically fast like Michael Schumacher - being able to develop the car to maximize their own efficiency, and ambitiously fast like Niki Lauda - not naturally gifted but very hard working to improve themselves ever more by constantly analyzing themselves and their weaknesses.
Then there are naturally fast drivers like Kimi Raikkonen. I'd say the late Ronnie Peterson fits this category. I.e. drivers who are just born with an immense driving skill and therefore just have a natural gift to be immediately fast with any car with seemingly little to no effort - as proven by these Nascar guys commenting on Kimi. Basically these kind of drivers don't (have to) try and be something more or to motivate themselves to do better, they're just being themselves and feel the best being just that.
Naturally fast means they're "cool and fast" unlike the obsessively fast driver to whom this is a fiery passion as if were a religious war and as if the fate of the world depends on them winning.
I believe that a good measure of raw race pace is the fastest lap. Kimi Raikkonen has the 3rd most fastest laps in the history of F1 behind only Schumacher and Hamilton. Both of those are 7 times world champions...
Now, we must remember two things here:
1. Unlike Schumacher and Hamilton, Raikkonen never drove a dominant car for many consecutive seasons. Ferrari won a record 6 consecutive constructors' titles during Schumacher's time and Mercedes improved upon that record with 7 consecutive constructors' titles during Hamilton's time.
2. Raikkonen raced against *both* Schumacher and Hamilton. During Schumacher's Ferrari domination era and Hamilton's Mercedes domination era.
These two factors makes his 3rd most fastest laps in F1 history appear even more impressive.
As for the "naturally fast" thing. I think that Kimi's first lap in the Portuguese GP driving the uncompetitive Alfa Romeo and going from 17th to 6th proves that he is still naturally fast in his 40's.
If the new cars for 2022 allows more flat-out racing and Kimi develops the car I really believe he will surprise quite a few.
Where would like to keep ham ? Mechanically fast or natural fast ?
Schumacher dominated Massa far more than Raikkonen in the same car. Raikkonen got fastest laps because he was driving fastest cars in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2018. Schumacher had fastest cars in 2002 and 2004 only.
@@nassaubahamas5494 being fast doesn't mean anything when the car super unreliable
I think your comment worth's a ton!! I didn't know this statement from Alesi. He used to be my fav racer before Kimi came. I consider Alesi in the "naturally Fast" category as well. Very unlucky too !!
Thank you for the best fan review of kimi ive ever read
Kimi has been the best modern example of a pure driver and we've all known it for years; Alonso can give him a run but you never bet against a Finn behind the wheel; especially that one. Doesn't matter what surface they're on, doesn't matter what car it is or what shoes it's wearing; Kimi will make it go fast.
Most of these are McLaren footages. McLaren gave him oversteery car which suits him the best.
Also F1 used to show who is the fastest because drivers gave their best in every lap. Now it is all about saving fuel, saving tires, saving battery, lame.
Completely agree.
Because they could refuel
"F1 used to show who is the fastest" during the race? Fastest lap is still a thing tho.
@@mtrps_ Yeah during the race, F1 has never been so one sided like it is now. In the 2000s Mclaren, Ferrari, Williams all regularly got wins and teams like bmw sauber, Jordan etc snagged occasional wins too.
Those cars also had traction control so 2008 and beyond ones are saves without TC.
Also, 2005 was also about saving tyres since you have to make one set last the whole race.
The reason Kimi speaks so less is because he’s busy listening to the car
The only car he incredibly had trouble with was the 2014 Ferrari F1 car, but every other car he’s seem to have control over like TC is in every car he drives in, it’s amazing. And I also see he rarely lifts when he tries to straighten the car.
Oh he would eat them alive. If you replace his current car with a merc, there are no close calls for the podiums after that.
@Kimi Timoskainen I second that.
Holy shit people here are so delusional. Kimi hasn’t been any good for about 3 years. Top guy and great personality but that’s the truth.
@@thesnackbandit then how did he win 2018 US GP? had tons of podiums with the ending of Ferrari as well. 12 exact in 2018.
@@GoatedAtNFS He won because he put in an awesome performance while having the second best car on the grid. However, that doesn't mean he's been good. That would be like saying Bottas has been good because he wins every 10 months or so while picking up loads of podiums but being beaten comprehensively by Lewis and now, Max.
Not only born with talent, he literally grew up on wheels.
That level of wobble coming out of eau rouge would make me shit myself, and it's just another race for him. Kimi is a GOAT.
Prime Kimi is more impressive than prime Lewis. Kimi's 2005 season is a wonder the way he extract every single performance out of the car. Fastest in quali at Monza despite carrying enough fuel for a 1 stop strategy against other's 2 stop, midfield grid position to finish on the podium at Silverstone, Magny-Cours, Suzuka, dominant at Barcelona and Monaco. Give Kimi a Mclaren, a set of grippy and durable Michelin and witness a masterclass of driving.
DNF at the last lap on the Nürburgring
Yes...but Lewis is more consistent over the long haul.
Prime Alonso is more impressive than both
@@shooter7a Yup, that is true. I'm more thinking about peak performance at a certain point in their career. Kimi's Mclaren years is a tale unfulfilled for the championship but he really put in stellar performance during those years,more so than Lewis.
What would you even describe as prime lewis? He was competing for a wc the moment he got into an f1 car as a rookie. not many people could do that as we've seen. dont see the reason to bring down lewis in this comparison. both are great drivers in their own respect. theres a reason lewis said kimi was his favorite driver.
It explains why he’s always so calm. Other people would freak out losing the back end at 200kmph. Kimi just goes “BWOAH” and flicks it back in line.
Imagine Kimi in the current Mercedes or RedBull, he wouldn't be leading by a few seconds, he'll be leading by a few minutes
"Kimi you can pace yourself", "Bwoah, leave me alone, I know what I'm doing!!"
And that should be an underlined statement
Rallying definitely helped him
The only clip you need to see to prove that Kimi has the best car control of all time is when he keeps it out of the barriers at turn 14 Hockenheim.
So true. IIRC everyone else who went off there went lost the car completely but not the Kimster!
I want Kimi in today's Mercedes F1 car and see him destroy everybody else.
He wouldn't as you can see by his 2018 performance in the best car at that time.
@@Orcawhale1 kimi was at Ferrari. They had a great car but not the best on one lap pace
@@Orcawhale1 Kimi had a lot of bad luck in 2018 though. 4 DNFS that were not his fault.
@@Orcawhale1 Yea, Kimi has lost a couple of tenths per lap. 2005 Kimi would have been a beast in 2018 Ferrari. Everybody gets old... even Kimi.
@@Orcawhale1 In 2018 he was within a tenth of Lewis and Seb (in qualifying) despite being almost 10 years older. He was also consistently quicker than Bottas (by up to 4 tenths on tracks like Spa and Monza) and beat Bottas in the championship despite having 4 DNFs to 2. In the first half of 2019 he was also destroying the midfield. I think he would do fine but never really gets a chance.
According to Mika, Finns start racing at a very young age and on loose surfaces such as gravel, dirt, and mud. They would train in those conditions all the time. In turn, this level of training creates supreme car control which is why Finns are usually in high demand when they come around.
And snow. They drive fast on snow as well, in normal traffic.
That's what happens when you leave Kimi alone. He just knows what he's doing.
🤣🤟
NASCAR guys surprised that a top F1 driver has a superior driving ability, who would have thought?
It is not about that the nascar people think that f1 driver couldn't drive. But not everyone in nascar and most definitely most of the USA doesn't know Kimi. When he appears on your screen at race day, he might be a nonamer, but after few nice laps and overall quickness makes him well known before the race ends. After saying this I was thinking some names in nascar drivers and came to stunning amount of names: 0. Still I don't think that nascar driver couldn't drive.
Kimi was really bad in NASCAR tbh. Idk what this interview is on about lol
you are beyond stupid
@@trumpet43samurai Kimi was not bad at NASCAR at all, the commentators all said his debut race was unbelievable. He was offered to do more but he didn't want to. To jump into a truck with 0 running and go top 15 in Charlotte is unreal. It's way harder than WEC/Indy. I watch NASCAR, Charlotte is probably the HARDEST oval on the calendar. It's like putting a rookie in an F1 car around Monaco as their first race with no testing.
@@ciaronsmith4995 No one else would get this praise for a top 15 in trucks at Charlotte. He, like all other f1 people who try NASCAR, did very mediocre.
Kimi turns the car with the rear. High risk, incredible reward.
doesn't work with modern f1 boats though.
@@vinigretzky97 I would point to that being the reason you don't see him on the podium so much anymore. I refuse to believe he's getting too old for this game haha
@@PNWhashmits Modern F1 cars can simply not be driven fast above the limit anymore.
With the short wheelbase you saw the V10s twitching and sliding around constantly. Schumacher is another example of that.
With the modern long wheelbase, once its sliding its over and you can be lucky not to spin.
@@PNWhashmits Also he’s driving for Alfa Romeo
His experience with his old Lada on a very cold slippery road always pays off 😂
Very sharp front end
Oversteer setup
Short shifting
What an epic style❤️❤️
As of 2021 honestly, I think Kimi is the third or fourth best driver even now, behind Lewis, Max and maybe Leclerc. I'd love to see a championship battle of 2005 Kimi and 2020 Lewis without reliability being a bitch, it would be so tight!
Kimi is in prime was a force to be reckoned with. I think he was just unlucky a lot of the time.
I think he’s also a quite guy and so teams don’t really pay attention to him and build the car around the over driver which isn’t he’s preferred driving set up.
Kimi is the best driver in my mind during the his McLaren days, I still can’t comprehend how he was so quick
@@SelfImprovement1111 So so true what You said
@@hMint kimi has a season with the most fastest laps which looks very similar to Hamilton numbers. Also the fact he has 100 podiums but only 1 championship feels a bit wrong. It’s off, usually someone with those numbers have 3 championships.
So this is why I believe kimi is one the unluckiest greatest drivers.
kimi in his mclaren days was the fastest driver i have ever seen
Kimi is honestly so underrated in this day and age these newer fans forget Kimi is a always will be 1 a f1 champion and 2 a well rounded driver with time in nascar trucks and rally
Let be real,..kimi is a legend... and by far the most enticing driver in f1... I just don't want to see him go...
It's crazy how many types of F1 cars he has driven. He has more experience in his little pinky than most race car drivers.
The 2019 Germany race is what I was looking for and you got it in the video pretty cool !! All the drivers that lost control in that turn went into the barrier some got out like Lewis others couldn’t like valteri and Charles but Kimi was the only one who didn’t damage the car and got on with the race. Amazing stuff once again by who is,according to me, not only super talented but the fastest driver, until this year Lewis took over quite a few track records from him , Kimi Raikkonen .
Totally agree !
I've watched F1 for 23 years, since I was 4. Boy has it been a ride watching my fellow Finn in F1. Watching Kimi has been the best and worst thing ever at the same time. Absolute masterclass with pure unluckiness. Bottas has the unluckiness but lacks the sheer pace. Not even sure there are any Finns after this year.. Its actually pretty emotional already when I think of Kimi driving his last lap in F1.
Michael Schumacher's 2 respect rivals: Mika and Raikkonen.
Alonso?
Senna?
He didn't exactly race against Senna for championships though, and with Alonso yes they were head to head for a season but in 2003 kimi lost a driver's championship by 2 points in a 2 year old mclaren, pretty sure it was around then when he told Ferrari who should replace him
@@BigD123749 "He didn't exactly race against Senna for championships though, .." Yeah, I agree.
As a matter of fact. Michael Schumacher was the one who suggest Kimi as his replacement.
His reaction time man... like the car doesn't looks like it's about to lose control but kimi already doing the correction
Spa 2002 was epic. Great save
3:26 i think was the best ive seen. The way how he keeps the car from totaly slipping away is amazing. We all saw the best of F1 slipping away that race and he just knew exactly how to keep the car away from the wall.👏🏼👏🏼
Kimi the only driver in F1 that can drift. Period.
He should be a 3 times champ - he was the best in his prime!
I love how if he has the opportunity to stay floored he absolutely will. Balls of steel.
Kimi has the same qualities as Schumacher did. Both like an oversteering car, because that's just a part of how they get the car around the corner. Mika Häkkinen also had a tail-happy style.
his driving style has actually influenced mine…i mainly use his and senna’s style when driving…senna for the throttle and kimi with the steering..and it’s amazing
He's a pleasure to watch.as simple as that! my all time favourite.
I would say he is probably the best driver I’ve watched till now. He controlled fu*king alfa romeo like nothing. Imagine hime in a Mercedes or ferarri of today. He would lead despite his age.
Schumacher likes to drive with perfection, Kimi likes to drive fast, really fast.
Kimi is going all or nothing, lifting isn’t a option, if only a bit, and only if he has to
Even though this is video for the legend that is Kimi, and in risk of repeating something many are thinking, I have to say...
Damn!!! The V10 sound!
That save at 1:42 is just amazing! If he didn’t get that under control he could have gone straight into that barrier head on. Something you can’t teach!
3:46 is unbelievable. The amount of control and steering input at the exact moment it’s needed. He is reacting in microseconds, if not faster....
Raikko-seconds
And he did all those without his drink…
Drincc
One thing....
Is it on or not?
...and without gloves and steering wheel. Amazing!
I just recently watched his Monaco 2005 lap and then Monza 2018. He was scary good when he really was in the mood. Just imagine how many titles he'd won if he really put his mind into F1 like Senna, Prost and Schumacher. Coulthard said he was lazy but I think it was just that Kimi always wanted to have a life outside of F1 too.
I can tell you from watching that truck and Xfinity race Kimi ran in 2011, he was not in the greatest equipment. For what he had, he did amazing for having 0 stock car experience. He really impressed me.
Absolutely. His race in Charlotte was also impressive, that is not the easiest place to make a debut. No other driver could have done that well with such little prep time (coming from F1). People don't realize Trucks are way harder to adjust to than Indy Car for an F1 driver.
What an incredible video, just watched it 3 times right in a row. Wish I could give it a like again
2:14, the one in T1 suzuka is insane, even in super slow motion hes lightning fast
I love how this dudes acting like driving in a loop is hard for a guy that grew up essentially with a rally track in his backyard and spent most of his career racing f1. The Finns are the best drivers in wrc and most other motorsports for a reason
2:11 , he countersteers for 6 frames, this video is at 25 fps, that means he corrected for 240 milliseconds. the fastest human reactions are somewhere below 200ms, so it took him within half a second from realizing it was sliding, to fully correcting and exiting the corner. That includes lowering the throttle, steering, and then getting back on the throttle and steering straight. Even more impressive is that at roughly 210kmph, in the time it took him to fully correct, he traveled 14 meters. Mistakes at those speed mean that if you're even off your game for a 1 seconds, you are in a barrier.
My eyebrows hurt they raised so much ! What great saves!
Amazing car control. But its not just that. He also knows a lot about mechanical stuff. Probably more than any other driver currently on the grid. Kimi even used to build his own carts when he was just a kid. He would weld the chassis, assemble engines, build carburetors etc... His dad knew how hard it is to get into F1, so he hoped that some team would at least hire him as a mechanic. Its all in "The Unknown Kimi Räikkönen" book. I recommend everyone who likes F1 should read it.
Kimi just has eurobeat permanently playing in his head, that's how he gets the supernatural car control abilities.
Kimi drove on instinct, he responded to the car before you could even think of what it was about to do. He knew exactly what to do without thinking about it. No amount of practice or experience will make anyone such a driver. You can clearly see he doesn't think, his mind is blank and he lets his hands do the driving unconsciously.
Avg person: "Omg Kimi is about to lose control!"
Kimi: "Bwoah, it's just a Scandinavian flick for when I go into the corner. It's a common thing in Finland"
That's what happens when winter lasts 10 months out of the year where you grow up. 🇫🇮
☺️...who'd have think it, eh. I remember an episode of Top Gear, where Mika Hakkinnen instructed James May in handling snowy conditions...the fins know how to handle oversteer, before they learn how to piss.
The length of Finnish winter is like less than 3 months in southern Finland where Kimi comes from, but yeah you're correct it helps a lot. You also have to pass mandatory _winter and extremely slippery conditions_ driving tests for everyone in Finland who's getting a driver's license.
His reactions were at light speed and he knew exactly what to do without even thinking about it,he became part of the car,the brains part,that keeps the car alive...
Lmfao @ 2:16 he sent it so hard the announcer started speaking gibberish. "OOoooooOOOOOOOO Soooo quick bepapddpapdpapdpadpapdpadpadp thats all folks"
His brain works faster than the car's ability to gain speed
Everyone : Incredible saves by Kim
Kimi : bwoah it's just normal
Im huge fan of yours. Never stop postin these videos. Love from Finland
Hamilton liked Kimi..I don't like Hamilton but that scores a big point in my book for HAM...
Who knows how many millions of dollars he has saved these teams by keeping his car on the track and not in the wall or other cars
@1:58 "how did Raikkonen keep that on the road?!?" is the perfect summary 😂
These videos make me miss The Iceman even more. My personal favourite driver all time
You can see a bit of Senna in his driving. Just incredible.
I watch it a first time and was amazed.
Then the second time I watched the wheel.
Now I can't even believe what I'm seeing.
The speed he took into the first corner of Suzuka in that one clip is fucking crazy
Watching Kimi gives more power than drinking cases of red bull.
1:41 This is like one of those UFOs that people say move in violation of the laws of physics...
One of the car magazines did a feature once where they tried to measure the difference between taking a corner with and without a 4 wheel drift. The theory was that the drift put you into position for the corner exit earlier. But it takes a special talent to work with oversteer at the speeds that Kimi does.
Car: Go this way
Kimi: shutup I know what I'm doing
3:25 the fact that he controlled the car where others just skidded off
Beautiful cars back in the day
Now they have 125 wings and sometimes i don't know what is what of a car
3:15
Thumbnail moment XD...
Come to think of it, I have never seen Kimi spin on his own.
2:47 Bro went through gravel like it was nothing
My impression of Kimi has just increased 10 fold
Kimi is a beast
The last Ferrari champion. The crimson king.
A man of litlle words, and much talent
Mazepin should learn about Kimi
he drives like hes in rally. i always maintained that rally is the pinnacle of racing, even above F1
The Finnish have a natural talent for maintaining car control and they begin testing it at an early age. Sisu.
The art of presenting 5 minutes of common driver errors as "incredible car control"
It's going to miserable when Kimi retires
Jinxed it.
2:28
"Woah, nearly lost the back"
That's the point
This is the very driver thay skipped all the feeder series and jumped into an F1 car right after karts.
I honestly hope kimi continues driving in motorsport somewhere. He has a gift from god with his control and precision.
Kimi is a man of paradoxes, loves to short shift, yet never lifts
I think he's been putting way less fuel in to get a car that's more agile for his driving style and then short shifting for most of the race to balance it
@@nbain66 i've heard theories ranging from better torque out of corners to help him put the power down and prevent tire slip
Well.. Mr. Räikkönen is from Funland and pretty damn impressive behind a wheel :) Even for a Fin^^
Be amazing to see Kimi in a competitive seat for 2021 if he doesn't retire