Kimi's Sequence to Success

It seems right now that every man, woman and yes even their dogs and perhaps a few prancing horses want to have a go at poor Kimi Räikkönen. 

Well this isn’t an article to say hang on a minute, I mean last year he didn’t really do much apart from setting fastest laps at pointless moments when he was already out of contention for, well everything.

This is an article trying to offer hope. The 2009 season has begun and there has only been one race and he wasn’t doing that badly. 

Yes he crashed, and it does seem he likes to crash a bit more often now, but I won’t let that stop me offering a few facts which when put together could be made into overwhelming evidence that he might not do too badly this year.

Now, we all know that McLaren have a habit of making a few good cars then a few not so good ones.  Well it appears Kimi may suffer from the same affliction, but with driving, obviously.

The evidence I present to you is 2003, 2005, 2007.  For people who might take a mild interest in maths I ask you what number in this sequence is next?

Yes I grant you, it is quite like grasping at non existent straws but hear me out.

After two years in Formula 1, 2003 was Kimi’s first tilt at the title and after an amazingly consistent season in a car that didn’t deserve to be up there, he finished only 2 points shy of Michael Schumacher.

Actually if Bernie Ecclestone really wanted a good season to use as an example to bring in a winner takes all points system, this was it; Kimi scoring one win to Schumacher’s six.

But I digress; 2004 coincided with an overly complicated McLaren, which also meant Kimi failed to shine, however, 2005 was a return to form for the speed of the car and for Kimi. 

Whatever was thrown in his way, he seemed to overcome it winning seven times as he generally became renowned for being the fastest driver in Formula 1. Reliability destroyed any chance of the title, but as a driver, Kimi was mighty.

2006 resulted in another poor McLaren, but 2007 he was back to the front again for Ferrari, winning the first race and adding a further five victories by the end of the season to finally take the title in a last ditch effort in Brazil. 

Looking at ’07 through rose tinted glasses you could say it was the perfect season, and for the majority of it Kimi was in excellent form. 

There were a few races in which he seemed decidedly lacklustre and unfortunately this transferred to most of 2008 and maybe even Australia ’09.

Let us not be too downhearted though, with the evidence presented this surely means the rest of 2009 will be when Kimi Räikkönen will return to the top and reap the rewards of success again. 

In winter testing he was looking very quick again, but with the Brawn team creating havoc for the form book a championship challenge may be unlikely but not out of the question.

A fully motivated Kimi is still a force to be reckoned with and this year could yet prove to be part of his winning sequence, mathematics doesn't lie after all.