Kimi Raikkonen does not think there is much difference in the difficulty of driving today’s Formula 1 cars compared to those of 10 years ago. His comments are in contrast to those of Lewis Hamilton, who thinks the 2019 cars are too easy physically.
The Mercedes driver recently claimed that drivers had it too comfortable in modern cars, and even suggested that he could drive in two races back-to-back without feeling too much physical exertion.
Kimi Raikkonen, a competitor since 2001, thinks that drivers have simply got better at getting used to the demands, rather than the cars significantly changing.
“Is it harder now or less hard? It’s impossible to say. When you start thinking 10 years back the memory plays games and you can’t [remember properly],” Kimi Raikkonen said to Motorsport.com.
“Maybe it’s not the same. If you asked me 10 years ago I’d say ‘it’s OK’ because it’s all about how you get used to it. When you come after the winter and you drive, you see whether it’s hard or not because your neck is basically done after 20 laps and it feels awful.
“But the second test, you have a little bit of pain here and there and then you get used to it. It’s like any sport you do, you get used to what you do and it doesn’t feel hard.”
“I don’t think it felt any different in the earlier days.”
After four years with Ferrari, the Finn left the team to return to Alfa Romeo – the team with which he started his F1 career under their Sauber banner.
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