Hakkinen sees Räikkönen beating Alonso in 2014

In the column he writes for the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, Mika Hakkinen discussed the Scuderia Ferrari duo for 2014, Alonso/Räikkönen. The Finn believes that his compatriot will be most comfortable behind the wheel of the 2014 Ferrari equipped with a Turbo V6 1.6L engine and that Räikkönen should therefore be able to surpass his double world champion teammate: « I think Kimi’s driving style is really perfect for these turbo [engine] cars. Alonso attacks too much, so I think Kimi will beat him, » explains Hakkinen.

Hakkinen also thinks that the environment at the Maranello team will be more conducive than that of Lotus, allowing Räikkönen to fully focus on his performance on the track: « Everyone knows that Ferrari has enormous resources to develop [its car] during the season. Development will not stop, even if good engineers leave. And Kimi doesn’t have to worry about the financial aspect, Ferrari has what it takes. »

On his side, Räikkönen seemed rather confident, in a video published on Ferrari’s website, about his adaptation to his new car: « My feeling is that driving these new cars won’t be as difficult as people think. Hopefully, we will finally find that it’s quite simple. Clearly, it will be challenging for the technical staff, everyone who had to make a new engine, new gearboxes, and all that. But I don’t think it affects the driver too much. We will obviously have new buttons and everything that comes with it, but let’s wait and see. It will be easier to say after the first tests. »

The native of Espoo also expressed his delight at reuniting with the Scuderia and the Tifosi: « It’s nice to come back here [to Maranello], of course it’s pleasant to be back and see people who were already there when I was at Ferrari [between 2007 and 2009]. Also new people, but it’s really been very good so far. There are a lot of good people in the team, with a lot of knowledge. We have to do our best and see where we end up, but there’s a chance to really do well. It’s also nice to see the fans, and the fact that they’re happy I’m back at Ferrari is obviously a bonus. Hopefully, we can achieve good results and make them even happier. »

Thanks to this return to the Reds, Kimi Räikkönen hopes to reach the top again in Formula 1 and perhaps clinch a new world champion title: « There is only one thing we are going to try to do, and that is to win championships. Let’s hope that as a team we will be able to do it. It’s going to be complicated, especially with the new regulations. It’s very difficult to say where everyone stands and what will happen. »