2016 was seen as a renaissance of sorts for Kimi Raikkonen in Formula 1.
The Finn proved to be more than a match for Sebastian Vettel at Ferrari, beating the German over the season in qualifying and finishing over 100 points closer in the Drivers’ standings than the year prior.
As a result, the mid-season decision to retain him for 2017 made sense, even if the call from President Sergio Marchionne was to keep Vettel happy rather than being based on performance.
But just two races into this year and Marchionne is already criticising Raikkonen and perhaps regretting taking the conservative route.
Certainly, the Chinese Grand Prix seemed to suggest the 2007 world champion may have lost a step.
Albeit disadvantaged by strategy later, the 37-year-old was simply swept aside by Max Verstappen in a bold move in the early laps. He would then fail to get ahead of the second Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo in a race-long battle, eventually having to settle for fifth.
Compare that to Vettel who was able to force his way past Raikkonen and the Australian before going on to finish second behind Lewis Hamilton.
Though a persistent problem with understeer on the SF70-H has been his reasoning for the lack of speed, Marchionne said words about his performance with team boss Maurizio Arrivabene had been had and even suggested the Finn was distracted claiming he appeared to be ‘busy with other stuff’.
That’s a pretty damning condemnation, but also highlights the significantly different situation Ferrari find themselves in this year.
It’s already clear, regardless of what the two teams might say, that the eventual roles of Raikkonen and Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas will be to back up their respective team-mates in their quest for the world title.
If the veteran of 14 seasons is to have a chance of succeeding in that role, he needs to be at his very best against a fellow countryman who is looking to establish himself with his new team and is keen to prove himself overall.
Though both had a bad race in China, you would expect poor results to be fewer and further between for the former GP3 champion and he will also get faster as the season progresses.
Can we say the same for Raikkonen? Well with speculation already swirling about his future once again and the return of the apparent gulf in speed between himself and Vettel, it would likely be harder for him to maintain the same motivation as his Mercedes rival.
Also, should Bottas get the upper hand, it would mean Vettel facing a bigger challenge in his bid for a fifth world championship and it would become very difficult for Ferrari to claim the constructors’ crown.
Therefore, it’s imperative that, if a setup problem really is the cause of Raikkonen’s current struggles, a lasting solution is found quickly. If it becomes more clear that the ‘Iceman’ is simply lacking the pace in the coming races, however, then the Maranello hierarchy’s initial frustration now may lead to having no choice when considering its line-up for 2018.
