Editorial Ranking 2013: Kimi Räikkönen (5th)

His statistics

5th in the championship

183 points

1 victory

8 podiums

2 best laps

Best qualification: 2nd (China)

Best race: 1st (Australia)

**His/Her/Its season**

Kimi Räikkönen and Lotus couldn’t have dreamed of a better start to the season. Winner in Australia thanks to a one-stop strategy, the Finn clearly showed his ambitions for the championship. Unfortunately, this victory would not be followed by others. However, don’t think that the 2013 season was disappointing in terms of sports performance. In China, he could probably have won by starting from the front row, but a poor start complicated things for him. Nevertheless, he finished second despite a damaged front wing following contact with Sergio Pérez.

Over the first five rounds of the championship, Iceman will climb the podium four times and will be the number one rival for Sebastian Vettel. In total, he will add eight podiums to his tally throughout the season.

There will also be lows like the Monaco Grand Prix, where poorly qualified he will end up in the wall following another incident with Sergio Pérez, even though a fifth position seemed assured. In Canada, he will also completely miss out on his weekend. At Silverstone, a bad strategic choice will deprive him of the podium.

If Räikkönen often performed well in races, he was regularly lagging during the qualifying sessions. While the qualities of the Lotus allowed him to make up some of the delay, starting at the front remains important to have a chance of winning on Sunday.

The second half of the season will be more difficult. Firstly, because the new Pirelli tires used from mid-championship did not suit him as well as those used at the beginning of 2013, and they did not allow him to set up his car as he wished. The long-wheelbase E21 also suited him less than it did Grosjean. This did not prevent him from delivering some very strong performances, such as in Singapore, despite back pain.

And then, how can we discuss Räikkönen’s season without mentioning his departure before the end of the championship? The non-payment of the Finnish driver placed Lotus at the center of media attention as rumors about the 2007 champion’s future continued to grow. In Abu Dhabi, the Finn arrived at the circuit at the very last moment, admitting that he had considered not racing. The Quantum money was supposed to replenish the team’s funds and fill Räikkönen’s wallet, but it never came, and the Lotus driver left the team earlier than expected, two races before the end of the championship, to undergo back surgery and be ready for his return to Ferrari. A saga from which the driver, one of the most popular in the paddock, certainly did not come out enhanced.

The editorial opinion: His bad temper is also highlighted by Romain Mathon, who believes that despite everything, he has been performing well for another year. However, he is only focused on his own goals and is not part of a team.

For Sarah Nuyens, there are clearly two parts in the Finn’s season: He had a very strong first half of the season, holding onto the second place in the championship. Unfortunately, afterward, he struggled to manage the tires, and Grosjean took off, revealing a more fragile Räikkönen. This view is shared by Fabien Gaillard, for whom Räikkönen was impressive on the track, consistent, and true to himself outside the cockpit. He almost appeared to be a serious title contender at mid-season before reality caught up. His bad patch, his first retirements in a long time, and his back pain came after the announcement of his departure from Lotus and slightly tarnished the end of the 2013 season, leaving a sense of incompleteness while the Enstone adventure had seemed so idyllic.

Finally, it is perhaps Antoine Maricot who best summarizes Iceman’s 2013 year: « The car was ok, I had a good result. Then there were difficulties, and it didn’t work anymore. »

**The highlight of his season:** Even though Räikkönen’s season was full of events, the editorial team chose his victory at the first Grand Prix in Australia, which the Finnish driver described as “quite easy.” It kickstarted Lotus’s season with a bang and heralded a series of podium finishes for Iceman throughout the rest of the year.

Discover the other drivers in the editorial ranking:

10th – Jenson Button

9th – Jules Bianchi

8th – Mark Webber

7th – Lewis Hamilton

6th – Nico Hülkenberg