"Kimi at his peak was of Max, Lewis, Charles level" - Ferrari's last world champion was an elite driver, says pundit

F1 pundit Peter Windsor places former Ferrari F1 driver Kimi Raikkonen among the most elite drivers on the grid. The Finn is already considered one of the best drivers in F1. He won the world championship in 2007 with Ferrari and won 21 races.

On his YouTube channel, Windsor said that Kimi Raikkonen at his peak with Ferrari was as good as current ones like Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

He explained how Raikkonen could manage the car in different situations. Windsor also elaborated on how the Finn's 'operating sweet spot' shrank as the years went by before he retired in 2021:

"Kimi at his peak was at Max, Lewis, Charles (level). He was absolutely able to manage the car in a number of ways with the variables in play, all the things that I've been talking about, he was that good.

"He went off the boil in terms of the size of the. ... if Kimi at his peak was operating on a sweet spot that big, Kimi by the end of his career was operating a sweet spot about that big, purely because I think physically I don't think he was the same driver."

Kimi Raikkonen drove his last F1 race in the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP. Unfortunately, he was unable to complete the race, as he crashed into the wall due to a technical issue with a wheel nut.

Despite not performing well for several years after his peak, he's still loved by many fans for his persona and fearless driving at his peak.

---

Ferrari team boss reassures that Charles Leclerc has not lost his motivation

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has said that Charles Leclerc has not lost his motivation to fight for wins and championships. Despite struggling at the start of the season, Vasseur reckons that Leclerc's motivation is still intact:

"I have absolutely no doubts about the integrity of Charles's motives. Surely, the start of the season wasn't what we wanted and what he wanted to have, there was the retirement in Bahrain, the penalty in Jeddah and the retirement in Melbourne, which was certainly not in the plans, but the motivation is intact."

He added:

"The most important thing for me is to keep everyone motivated to push in the same direction, and what I see are two drivers who are supporting the team to the fullest. Carlos has been here in Maranello all week in the simulator, and Charles will do the same. Motivation isn't a problem at all."

The Monagasque has struggled this season, scoring only six points in three races.