Kimi Raikkonen will need to prove in 2015 that he deserves another year at Ferrari. That is the warning of new Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene, following recent reports that the Finnish driver wants to stay at Maranello not only next year but perhaps also in 2016.
35-year-old Raikkonen, however, struggled notably on his return to the Maranello team from Lotus this season, with a points haul one third the size of Fernando Alonso's and not a single podium appearance.
"Last season was difficult for Kimi," Arrivabene is quoted by Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper, "but that does not mean that he has lost his speed.
"He is a former world champion, and more importantly he won the title driving a Ferrari.
"I want to emphasise that next season Kimi needs the time to show that he is capable, and after that it will be possible to make a decision about the future."
Raikkonen's teammate in 2015 will be his friend Sebastian Vettel, F1's quadruple consecutive world champion for Red Bull between 2010 and 2013.
"For sure," Arrivabene insisted, "drivers are not a problem for us."
There's no anonymity as a F1 driver, you're fair game - what you do & don't do on the racetrack is seen and evaluated by millions of people. So, it was ineveitable that Kimi's uninspired overall driving performance and 12th place standing for 2104 would be called out by the new team manager, even though Ferrari's cars for that season also sucked. My advice for Kimi is to quit constantly complaining/seeking car set-up to perfectly match all of your preferences (what the car can do for you) and just drive what you've got to your best ability every race (do what you can for & with the car). That might suprise, even impress some people. Might even help keep Kimi on the team through 2015.
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There's no anonymity as a F1 driver, you're fair game - what you do & don't do on the racetrack is seen and evaluated by millions of people. So, it was ineveitable that Kimi's uninspired overall driving performance and 12th place standing for 2104 would be called out by the new team manager, even though Ferrari's cars for that season also sucked. My advice for Kimi is to quit constantly complaining/seeking car set-up to perfectly match all of your preferences (what the car can do for you) and just drive what you've got to your best ability every race (do what you can for & with the car). That might suprise, even impress some people. Might even help keep Kimi on the team through 2015.