Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene has said that the Scuderia will be happy to offer support to their driver Kimi Raikkonen, who although is known as the “Iceman” is claimed to be “very sensitive” by the Italian.
Whilst Raikkonen seems to be the driver that lets nothing bother him on or off track, the Finn has struggled to beat new team-mate Sebastian Vettel so far in 2015.
Raikkonen was walked over by former team-mate Fernando Alonso in 2014 before the Spaniard left for McLaren after five years in red and it seems as though Vettel is continuing that trend.
Raikkonen, now a father to son Robin, has been out-raced by Vettel in every race so far also retiring in the season opening Australian Grand Prix after a pit-lane error led to him being released with a loose wheel.
Arrivabene seems to have made an instant impact at Maranello compared to predecessor Marco Mattiacci and believes Raikkonen needs a team around him to support him throughout to help boost his confidence against Vettel.
“He’s called the Iceman and actually part of this image of the Iceman is a guy that needs, not a [mental] massage because that’s too strong, but he is very sensitive,” he is quoted as saying by ESPNF1. “If he feels that the team is around him and pushing for him as it is pushing for Seb, Kimi can give us very good results and perfect performances.
“You saw the result in Malaysia, well we were jumping like kangaroos – even if it was Malaysia and not Australia – for the podium and for the victory [for Vettel]. But actually if you look back the performance of Kimi was wonderful. The new news in Ferrari is that we have a team now with two very good drivers.”
Vettel has already won a race for Ferrari in 2015 in Malaysia, but Raikkonen is still the most recent world champion for the team, winning the title back in 2007.
Both Vettel and Raikkonen have been close friends away from racing for a long time, despite having differing characters. Arrivabene knows how crucial it is to support both characters centering the support around their personalities.
“We are talking about two drivers, Seb in one way and Kimi in another. They are different characters. Seb is a strong guy who is very committed and Kimi needs to feel the support from the team around him and especially the team principal,” he said.
“In Malaysia I was talking with him after practice and we know each other for many years, and I said to him ‘Kimi, if you are attacking for nothing, expect me to react’, but Kimi likes this kind of relationship when you talk with him straight into the face.”
