Does Kimi Räikkönen still have something to offer F1?
I hadn't really paid much attention to the recent Kimi Räikkönen rumours - that he had turned up at the Williams factory for a visit, prompting much speculation that he was planning a return to Formula One. In fact, I haven't really given Kimi that much thought since he turned to rallying. He seemed a lot happier tackling a different discipline and I was sure we had lost him for good.
Only, now it seems he's dissatisfied again, and rallying isn't giving him the buzz he's looking for. I'm assuming that is the case, anyway, or why else would he visit the Williams team? It'd be unusual for a former F1 World Champion to show up for a random factory tour, however nice the simulator.
It is somewhat surprising to me that Kimi has become one of those figures that divides opinion so much - in a similar manner to Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, although for far different reasons. Most would agree that Räikkönen has pace when he gets in the car, but his motivation has always been a question mark.
He managed to make something of a laughing stock of himself with gorilla suits and ice cream incidents, but equally impressed when sitting behind the wheel. He never seemed keen on talking to the press or completing media and PR obligations, and it always felt as though whichever team he was with had to work hard to get the best out of him.
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