Alonso vs Raikkonen vs the rest

Ferrari has signed on Kimi Raikkonen for two seasons to partner Fernando Alonso in the hope that their partnership will bring the constructors’ title that has eluded the team since 2009.

The pairing of two world champions in the same team is a double-edged sword of sorts; it could work either in favour of, or against the most iconic team in Formula One. It was hard for McLaren to keep its top drivers, Senna/Prost and then Alonso/Hamilton, on the track, without them taking each other out of the race. However, it will be different with Alonso/Raikkonen in Ferrari. The ego clashes will be minimised by a mutual respect and maturity that has come with age and experience.

Ferrari’s philosophy has always been to put the team’s interest above that of any individual — if any of their drivers is not in top form, even if he is a world champion, he is shown the door. However, that door need not be shut forever. Niki Lauda returned, as will Raikkonen.

It will be six years since their last drivers’ championship, and five since their constructors’ title, and Ferrari is desperate for a world title.

With new regulations in force from next year, it had to bring in someone who will consistently score points and push its star driver, Alonso, to the limit — and the only available top-level driver without a contract for 2014 was Raikkonen.

On the other hand, Raikkonen is a cool character who usually likes to be left alone. His persona defies that of an athlete’s. Smoking, drinking, late-night partying — the list goes on. But on a grand prix weekend, he is on the track doing what he does best, working his way through traffic, and if the car is set-up according to his style, few on the track can stay ahead of him. Raikkonen was aptly named Iceman by Ron Dennis, his former boss at McLaren, due to the driver’s cool persona.