Have We All Over-Rated Kimi?

[BootsOntheSide]

Canada marks the third time (in eight races) that Kimi has chucked the car off the road in qualifying. Barring rain it will cost him any chance of a strong result, and probably the championship lead. In Spain he compounded his mistake by making what looked like another rookie error at the start (althoguh the sheer quality of his launch control system may have contributed). Strategy helped him recover in Austrlia.

Other than Spain, he has made mistakes in races as well. He lost Australia through a simple error, although the punishment was worse than the crime. The win at Malaysia was aided by Michael's error and DC's breakdown, and DC would've beaten him in Brazil had the race gone the distance.

Considering that Montoya, Ralf, DC Alonso, Webber and Michael ahve all made no more than 1 real mistake all season, this doesn't seem like an especialyl impressive record. And yet this guy's leading the championship.

What do you make of it all? Is this drive too much too soon, and is that causing the mistakes. Does he need to use his head more, learn to play the percentages better? Or does he simply lack the edge to be a champion, at least at this stage in his career?

[Mark Webber]

overjudged I think not. remember he is in an old car and I feel he just has to push that much harder. the later the new one arrives the harder its going to be for the champ in waiting

[A. C. E. motors]

How many races has Kimi had before F1?
There is your answer; he has little or no experience. He has not accumulated any race craft. He may be fast from time to time, but in F1 you need to be fast all the time. Put him in another car, send him out in lots of other races, and after a year he could come back into F1 and may well make world champion. The drivers in F1 are supposed to be the best, the place for them to show how good they are. Not how good they might be in the future. F1 isn’t the place to learn how to race. It is the place to show how good you are at racing.

[Lee Janotta]

Oh good lord... I can't let that kind of stupidity go! The kid's leading the damn points, you don't think he should be in F1?

Kimi's damn good now, and will get better with age. End of argument!

[neilap]

I still dont think Kimmi is a "great" as of yet. IMO he makes too many mistakes under pressure.

Realistically, though he has the least experience of all the drivers in F1 where racing is concerned. To be leading his much more experienced teammate alone is an accomplishment. JPM, who had much more experience than him made the same kind of mistakes. It shows that Kimmi is not afaid to push his car to its limits. If he keeps this attitude I feel only a poor car can keep him from a title. Experience will help him avoid the errors.

[f1manoz]

He leads the championship, he's won a race and been consistent everywhere else. He's making do in a car that is OLDER than the Ferrari and Williams. He's trouncing his team-mate. He's made a few tiny errors.

What is it about people when someone makes an error they leap all over them!?!??!?!?!

Although Nick should be in that seat anyway!

[neilap]

Here is a funny article. Its indirectly realtaed but I did not think it was worth its own tread.

http://www.f1racing.net/news.php?ID=58709

[429CJ]

Originally posted by neilap
I still dont think Kimmi is a "great" as of yet. IMO he makes too many mistakes under pressure.

Just like that swiss-belgian Ferrari driver, when he is truly pressured.

[Raven]

There have been some blinding performances this year though. He's not this far up in the championship by good fortune. Imola & Austria were fine examples of Kimi doing more with less. Yes, we're still 4/5 years away from the finished article in KR, but we're better off for having him in the McLaren.

[Mr V]

I thought that Kimi drove very well today and would have finished ahead of his team-mate even if DC hadn't have had his problems.

[Thorstone]

No Kimi is not Over-Rated and he will win the WDC this year

[jetsetter]

It's awfully harsh to suggest Kimi's over rated when he's taking the championship fight right up to Schumacher, i think his biggest problem his he always has to drive his car at eleven tenths & when you're pushing that hard it only takes a slight mistake to put the car off the road.

[TeddyG]

I was really upset when Kimi was allowed into F1 with such little race experience and I thought it was rediculous that someone who was barely 20 was allowed to compete in the "pinnacle of motorsport" at such a young age. I thought it was unfair of drivers who had to work their asses off in the lower formulas and win championships before they were even considered for F1.

I really thought that the FIA should have imposed a rule for a MINIMUM number of races a driver should have to compleate at a high level of racing for them to be cleared to drive a F1 car.
Nevertheless Kimi really impressed me and without a doubt he deserves an F1 ride. I didn't think he was particularly deserving of the McLaren seat (Heidfeld should have had a shot first) but he has done well under a lot of pressure.

Still I think it cheapens the sport when such young drivers, pretty much fresh out of high school, are allowed to jump into F1 cars just because they show a bit of speed and are cheaper than other more experinced drivers. I really do think there should be a minimum amount of races rule that I mentioned earlier. If a driver is good enough he'll get his shot just not at 19 or 20 years old.

[ljakse]

Kimi overrated?
Having a last year's car, leading the championship untill yesterday, being in front of his much older&experienced teammate, and all that with hardly any facial hair?

No, I don't think that's overrated.

[twig]

He has made some mistakes this year, but he is doing bloody well. As everybody makes mistakes.

Australia - Lost the race because of pit limiter, which was just the way McLaren set it up.

Malaysia - Brilliant drive
Brazil - Very good drive, crazy GP.
San Marino - Great comeback from a not so good qualifying
Spain - One mistake, coupled with another, just bad luck with no points.
Austria - Yet another good race, he would have been far more competitive if his LC would have been more effective.
Monaco - Another consistant race finish. Again, LC would have undoubtably have made his race easier and should have won.
Canada - Mistake in qualifying, but a really brilliant drive to finish 6th, although i think he could have done better.

He is leading the championship, he is very quick, and is still taking the fight up the MS with a much older car.
He also has far far far less experience out of F1.

He will undoubtably win a WDC, be it this year, or another, but he will win, not because of the car's speed either.

We havent overrated Kimi.

[Mr V]

Originally posted by TeddyG
Still I think it cheapens the sport when such young drivers, pretty much fresh out of high school, are allowed to jump into F1 cars just because they show a bit of speed and are cheaper than other more experinced drivers.

I disagree with this Teddy, i believe it shows good foresight from the team managers. Kimi is obviously something special and did more than enough to attract the attention of Peter Sauber. The older more experienced drivers you talk about have obviously not done enough to attract the same attention.

[RWC]

Here we go again...people quoting number of points or championships lead to prove a point.It proves nothing.Same as those coulthard defending coulthard in years past.Inteigent people can easily see when a result is deserved or not,when a mistake was made and how good a driver really is.
Kimi IS fast but makes too many mistakes.
Overated?
A little maybe
A fast driver has to get the mistakes out of the system sometime.If Ron (or williams with montoya when he started) want to let them do it in a front grid car,that's their problem
But it does make it frustrating/exiting/interesting for us

[RussianFriend]

Overrated?

You HAVE overrated Kimi if you think:
1. he's the greatest driver in the history of F1
2. he's the best driver in the current grid
3. he deserves WDC this year

You haven't overrated him if you think:
1. he's talented young driver
2. he deserves his seat in a top team
3. he's one of the best in the grid
4. he's fast progressing

Other more experienced drivers do the same mistakes, e.g. Montoya. And the new qualifying regulations give advantages to those racers who had already qualified on the circiut several times.

Kimi is not racing god, but he's still one of the best after some mistakes.

[KA]

Originally posted by RussianFriend
Overrated?

You HAVE overrated Kimi if you think:
3. he deserves WDC this year

I've seen similar comments on other forums, and have to confess that I don't understand this at all- in what way doesn't he deserve the WDC this year?- because he's too young......?

He's led the championship for the first part of the season, and if he can achieve the kind of results needed over the rest of the year to win the championship, then he deserves it- end of story.

[BootsOntheSide]

Originally posted by RussianFriend
Overrated?

You HAVE overrated Kimi if you think:
1. he's the greatest driver in the history of F1
2. he's the best driver in the current grid
3. he deserves WDC this year

You haven't overrated him if you think:
1. he's talented young driver
2. he deserves his seat in a top team
3. he's one of the best in the grid
4. he's fast progressing

That's basically my thinking. A lot of people have made 2 and 3 claims above, and gone over-the-top after a couple of good drives. In my view, Schumacher is still the best out there, and as such deserves the title (sad to admit it). Kimi is learning, and has showed mroe great mvoes than poor ones.

['T' bone]

Answer to thread question: No....We have not overrated Kimmi.

He's a better driver than DC in as much as he keeps his cool better under pressure, can overtake and doesn't throw the car around as much as the scotsman.

A few more GP's and he will sort out the problems he has with qualifying.........I think the lad maybe trying too hard.
Who else is taking the championship fight right up to Schumi? No one....Least of all DC who has an identical car!!!

[Cobra]

Nah he's not overrated he will settle back down to some good results again He will do well here in Britain in July, Hungary in August, the USA in September and Japan in October. He will end the season on a much bigger high than he had earlier on.

[climb]

Basically I don't like those commentators(many, in sports media) who idolize a driver when he seems to emerge (as to say: I always knew he could make it), and then put him down at the first difficulties (as to say, just a few weeks later: I always knew he's not that good)
Kimi's destiny this year has follwed that of his car : good and lucky at the beginning, very consistent (although not winning: it's his best performance) in the following races, despite a car who's proving older and older.
Now what's my point?
My opinion on him is still very positive: a strong (the strongest with Webber) improvement compared to last year, still only 3 poits after MS.
Nobody could have predicted that at the beginning.
Ok, some mistakes in this new-formula quals, but also strong recoveries, despite well-known overtaking problems of F1.

[pole2pole]

He is very young and he is still learning he is in an old car and he is 3 points behind the leader in the championship

[krt917]

I think that he'll be fantastic, but he isn't the finished article yet. That's not exactly a problem given his age!