0:59 and 1:35 are my favorites. The Räikkönen line at Spa on turn 1. He didn't have to turn in so tight for the first corner and the other drivers can't see him until he gets back on track, really genius trick by Kimi.
@@Tomitusplayer I agree with both yours and Ciaron's favourites, especially when he drives through the smoke at the start. While this isn't my favourite Kimi moment I do like the clip starting at 5:19 when after the crash at the start of the race everyone slows down to a crawl or completely stops. That is everyone but Kimi who says fuck this I've got a race to win and keeps driving 😎.
@@izazsatria6336 Because he slowed down massively in the pitlane entrance. Because it was so narrow nobody could pass and he blocked everyone. FIA then said after this, that was illegal and nobody can do that. Ok?
Other drivers: An F1 is a very complicated machine and you have to be very clean and avoid unnecessary moves while driving it. Kimi Raikkonen: Car is car.
it is now. back then you'd see variety of driving styles. like senna, schumacher, villeneuve. Now it is relatively the same. take similar lines with smooth throttle and brake inputs
@@megawave79 Such a good point. It's the most monotonous era in terms ofdriving styles. 0 creativity or abiltiy to showcase differing driving styles like they did in the past. They restict lines in the corners too.
@@ciaronsmith4995 And safest. remember the risks they took at the time and when we lost two drivers , one being the legendary senna. Also they may be similar but efficiency is still a thing. Look at verstappen in mexico and his low tire usage , even better than perez in that race due to his taking of corners ....poor time to bring max up now though....considering his asshole move to checo , the person who was the main reason lewis was busy and couldn't get fresh tires...and the reason he secured his 2021 WDC....The driving is still good....The engines could sound better though. Hope they move to older style vs again rather than hybrids.
@@jeppejensen470 Imagine he stayed with mclaren at least from 2006-8. Probably would have gotten back to back world titles in 07 and 08. Ferrari would have massa, but raikkonen was definitely the faster driver. In 08, i believe he would have put up a good fight with Hamilton and probably win.
@@dukcy7450 Ferrari practically "sabotaged" Kimi in 08 because they want to have Alonso in 2010. But yeah, Kimi could've snatched 08 if weren't for that. The biggest surprise however was that Kimi never held a grudge against Ferrari.
I will always remember him blowing through that abyss of smoke at Spa. A pure racing driver if there ever was one. Complete and total commitment. It was like he was from a different era
If there was a fire and a driver out of his car on the track that wouldve been very dangerous. The driver out of his car on track wouldve been decapitated.
Kimi absolutely mastered those nimble cars in the early 2000s. Keep in mind that he nearly beat prime Schumacher in 2003 even though he had two more DNFs than Michael.
we will miss this guy, he taught me the most important lesson no coach or driver will ever teach: don't take it too seriously, not only in racing, in anything. you might have a career, but no contract is worth your life
Yes concentrate on having fun racing. I myself enjoy racing, so I have played some racing games and Kimi countinued in F1 for 20 years, because he has always enjoyed racing.
2:30 SPA 2004. Raikkonen practically stop the car because Bridgestone tyres (in M.Schumacher Ferrari) was the best tyre of this season but it had only 1 disvantage vs Michellin (Kimi McLaren), and was that it need more time than Michellin to take correct temperature of work, and with that slow Kimi freeze the tyres of both, knowing that he'll obtain goog temperature of work faster than Michael. Only 3 laps to go in that moment of the race. One of my favourite races ever, It has everything.
What an absolute god. I hadn't started watching F1 yet during his glory days, but from watching his onboards even at alfa, the way he picks his lines, and especially his car control and gear selection is something special from the rest of the pack.
The thing I respect most about the guy is his composure through the hideous luck at Mclaren. You get a lot of drivers bitching over the most infrequent setbacks, some of which are usually partly their fault anyway, but he just kept his head down during that shit show. Boss
That last clip of him driving the McLaren like a flipping rally car was absolutely legendary. Rarely ever do you get to see that happen, as the car's weight is very central and the vehicle tends to want to spin around, which what we see happen 99 times out of 100
The bigger issue is the downforce. The car makes 3-4 times its weight in the corners pressing on the tires and increasing friction so it can take 4-5 gs. So the moment the car goes sideways, that downforce is lost, because the air is no longer flowing over the wings. Instantly you go from 4g to zero grip and that is VIOLENT and can lead to total loss of control. That's why an F1 car snaps so much for even a twitch and why drifting it is near impossible.
What impresses me most about Kimi are his saves when the car gets loose. It’s like he feels the car losing traction sooner other drivers and has time to correct it before a spin or going off track. Even the best drivers make mistakes but few of them can save it when they do.
@@nabilshafec7169 He looks like slam dunk 3 time WDC if his cars are reliable! I mean come on! The kid won 70% of all his junior races. I am sure he will get more than 1!
It's insane how even in such tense moments, he is so clean as well. When you race Kimi, you expect a tough, but absolutely fair racing. And rarely people can do both
He was extremely fast, a sharp arrow, fierce but at the same time clean, and also highly resourceful. I mean, this guy is the biggest raw talent i've ever seen live. I think his personality was the only thing to stop him from being a record-breaker. Kimi just didn't care enough to be like that.
1:24 I can confirm this works, through direct testing. Obv in a simulator, but Kimi would just do this. In a race, in a real racing car. Absolutely superhuman
Track full of smoke. Kimi says i remember how the tarmac layer goes so i don't fear anything. But anyway the best thing and that's hard on this extreme precision cars is how he used the shortshifts and engine torque on his favour. In Kemmel straight he always felt like 5 kilometers faster than anyone and not only there in slow to mid corners he uses that all the time. In Kimi's hands paddle gearshifting is science while others just mechanically put the gear on. Car control too you should put Hockenheim, where 6 drivers aquaplaned in the same corner and Kimi handled aquaplane like a boss, as he unstuck his car from the barrier. His reflexes is just a natural phenomenon with no understanding, he just understands the car, the space, the wheel alignment so different, everything in another dimension. Vettel by any means is a brilliant driver, but Kimi's talent is another level from anyone.
Sorry I'm a younger fan, only really been into F1 avidly for a few years. Can anyone explain to me why that wasnt extremely reckless and dangerous? As ballsy as it is wasn't there massive potential for a crash?
@@justmedee yea it reckless and dangerous but that's F1. Drivers push themselves to the limits to get to that top podium finish. I Know it wasnt the answer you wanted but its the best I got P.s. also I think there was no yellow flag or safety car on track so he thought it might be okay
@@ajinpjseph4014 thanks for the reply :) Yeah I know F1 is insanely high risk and in turn high skill but i was referring more to the driver that had already spun out on the track. I feel like that was brazenly endangering his life unless i completely read the situation wrong - like I've only become F1 obsessed in the last few years
And that's one of the reasons why I consider Kimi Raikkonen as one of my favorite F1 drivers of all time. Imo, he's one of the smartest drivers when it comes to racing skills.
That is one of the best laps I've ever seen. He had 8 laps more fuel than Alonso, (if you adjust for fuel, he was over half a second quicker than Alonso and 1 second quicker than Montoya), and had to take a 10 place grid penalty in the race. His corner entry speed into the chicanes was unbelievable and he took a smart line nobody else thought of. Brundle complaining about it haha!
Great compilation, thank you so much! It's sad that many new F1 fans have no idea why Räikkönen is praised so high and they only think it's because of the memes. His driving was on surgical level! Still sad about those 2 missed WC's that he could've had with a bit more luck!
he is THE racing god, the most instinctive driver ever. he handles every single problem perfectly. and those problems arent your usual problems. like who has the thought of "oh, if i crash into a barrier with one of my front wheels stuck in the barrier, i will simply jerk the wheel side to side while feathering the throttle"? no one thinks of that before you end up in that situation. he just knows everything.
Honestly it's not correct. He did the same thing in 2001 and the gate was open. So he assumed for the 2012 race it would also be open. He actually had a plan. But yeah he didn't turn up Thursday that weekend haha.
@@marszxc As far as I know, the track walk is for studying the corners, not studying outside the track and service roads. Also, that gate could've been opened during track walk and closed in the race, we can never know. British folks always give shit to Raikkonen whenever something happens. That's not about track walk whatsoever. That was actually quite a clever move but the result is unfortunate.
One of the drivers whose numbers fail to match the extent of his talent. One of the purest talents in the history of the sport. It was such a pleasure to watch him, Nando, and Schumi during the late V10 era. My childhood heroes.
1:49 I love the sound of that engine, especislly at the end where it bearly gets any higher. And the music is harmonizing so well with it too. I get goosebumbs everytime!
2003, 2005, 2008, 2013 definitely should have been his titles too in addition to 2007. Horrendous McLaren reliability, shady Ferrari politics, and silly mid-season regulation changes robbed him from being a 5-time WDC.
@@mustafaamini2184 Pirelli changed their tyres after Silverstone 2013. Mercedes and Red Bull were purposely fitting their tyres the wrong way around (to make them fail) so they could force Pirelli to change the tyres. Pirelli eventually had to after Silverstone 2013, and imposed mandatory tyre pressure and camber restrictions (never done before in F1) and made the tyres way harder after that. This seriously hurt Kimi's driving style, he hated the new tyres as they had 0 front end. Kimi was the best driver in 2013 from Australia-Silverstone.
@@mustafaamini2184 Alas, that's simply not true. Kimi won the first race of the season through excellent tyre management, but from the second race onwards Vettel was leading the standings. Kimi's consistency kept him in the hunt, but by the time the circus got to Silverstone, Vettel had won 4 and Alonso 2 (both leapfrogging over Kimi in the standings). So even before tyre changes, Kimi was not leading and indeed was behind Alonso, whose team was not doing weird things with the tyres. At Silverstone there were six tyre failures - Hamilton, Alonso, Massa, Vergne, Gutiérrez, and Perez (only one of which comes from teams Claron accuses of intentionally failing the tyres). Kimi came 5th in that race, behind Rosberg, Webber, Alonso and Hamilton (note that this suggests Red Bull and Mercedes were already plenty fast). Pirelli concluded that teams were fitting tyres wrong to manage wear, which is a HUGE far cry from saying that teams deliberately caused them to fail. It also makes NO sense as a strategy: Red Bull had been leading both Championships since the 2nd race of the season, why would THEY of all teams want a rule change?
only 2003 in 2005 Alonso was the better driver, in 2008 Massa had the same car and 2013 he wasn't leading the championship till Silverstone Alonso and vettel were way ahead
We kinda have with guys like max, lando and leclerc etc if we're talking about speed. Sadly the cars are a lot bigger / heavier and less nimble and thus les nice to look at. And ofcourse his no shits given quiet but fearless attitude is unique and sadly something that is not gonna be seen anytime soon because the big importance of social media and being liked (by everyone).
@@cookiegrandpafiddlediddle2248 I think thats a pretty good comparison, Max has is own slightly deadpan sense of humor like Kimi and has the same energy as him and Fernando, Max gives of the impression that he lives for Motorsport and nothing else just like Raikkönen and Alonso
Nice video as always. That start at spa in 2008 shows how much better Kimi feels the surface in tricky conditions than Felipe. So early on the throttle at the exit of Eau Rouge, which gives him tremendous speed advantage on the straight. Just fantastic.
I don’t know if I love mostly how he corrects the car or the fact that he floors the throttle again and again, each time right after straightening the car
i think an important part of speed is the FOV of the camera... the FOV is just too darn low on modern F1 cameras!! if they'd just turn it up a bit they'd look absolutely rapid just like before
@@satoshiuchiha931 I know the early 00’s cars are like 150-200 kg’s lighter. Why I thought it has a lower cornering speed is because of the more narrow and stiffer grooved tires
Ikr, but the fact that's just our perception, the modern cars are actually faster, it's just the fact that they're much bigger give us the illusion that they are slower, it's practically the case which a guy with longer legs run the same distance with a short guy in the same amount of time with less strides.
I still remember like it was yesterday the 2007 season and how much I wanted Kimi to finally take the title, was so happy for him. From his first year in F1 I was a fan of him, not only because of his driving but his character is so pure like none of the other drivers. Really sad he retired and didn't managed to get a few more world titles, because he was up there with the best ever just didn't have much luck.
If mclaren had a reliable car Kimi would have been youngest champ in 2003 then 2time in 2005. Along his 2007 title. But then if FIA didn't nerf Ferrari's dominace from 2005 who knew what would be different.
The only Iceman in F1 History, the Spa King and also one of the fastest drivers I have ever seen in my entire life. I'm so blessed to have seen almost his entire F1 career 🙏🏾.
probably the best and most knowledgeable driver in formula, very little error even when pushing beyond the machines limits, kimi doesn't fail the car, the car fails him or other drivers fail his car. the man must have grew up plowing snow in finland. this man better become a team boss, he's too good to just walk away from this sport.
@@amr1t_ What is Kimi would have been killed at Sauber? You would never know his name. I can name a bunch of great drivers who died early and few know their names. Luck figures into this sport.
in terms of pure pace and extracting everything from the car i would say goes to alonso but racecraft would go to kimi every single day of the week noone can match kimi in terms of racecraft kimi is the man no one dislikes and he will always be missed in f1
Kimi is a living legend in F1. Prime Kimi would wipe the floor with the new generation of drivers. He still kept in the game way passed his prime. Must've been such an honour to race with him as an F1 driver before he retired.
Purest of racer ever. Wanted to show he could be champion, came close lot of times, did it in 2007. Proved to himself, and never bothered to please anyone. I been watching F1 from 1998 to present No one comes close to Kimis car control and sheer pace. Brilliant racecraft, clean racer. If anything I've found lacking is that sometimes he tends to be too respectful and doesn't go for late lunges like other drivers do. ❤️Grande Kimi Grande. Thank for for all the exhilarating experience you've given throughout the years. We'll miss u. Luckily Ciaron will keep us entertained with ur brilliant clips.
Nowadays people don't know how violently fast kimi was in his prime. Man was damn near unbeatable on sheer pace alone and was supreme in car control as well
the first one shows exactly how a good driver has nothing to lose but a lot to win, and i think thats a good thing. playing with death, not scared a single bit.
THIS is the kind of editing we like to see 😎👌. No over dramatizing, no 3 frame a shot editing, Showing the action properly instead of cutting through 6 different angle shots at a stroboscopic rate. Someone at the FIA give this guy/girl job.
A genius that was born in the wrong era. Iceman❤ (For those that wanna know,according to a former Lotus engineer that worked with him,he said: If Kimi was born in 50s,he would be a 7-8 champion,due to his speed).
He would have won at least 3 if his car reliable at McLaren. Timeless driver. He would win in any car, in any era. Let's not put him in the bracket. He's not like the others.
He was so fast during the mclaren days... if only the car would have kept him in races instead breaking each time. He was THE fastest driver back then, by a mile
God how i miss F1 back when it was really F1! Now i just watch old youtube races..Kimi was the King of putting the power down, sooner than anyone else could!
0:00 that song and that mclaren at the beginning makes me nostalgic for a time i wasn't even alive (and makes me think Kimi is up right next to Senna) (also the camera quality)
Has always been my favorite driver it’s funny how he seem to give less of a crap than anyone else about racing but he was still one of the best I would’ve loved to seen what he could’ve done if he would’ve been in a Red Bull or Mercedes for the last couple years
Kimi brought with him an air of genius. From your debut to your first title. After that, after a sabbatical period he returned with everything to Lotus where he won two races and from then on he had lapses of genius at Ferrari and Sauber.
