A respected German newspaper has speculated that Kimi Raikkonen’s struggle at Ferrari this year could have been worsened by a simple and very famous factor.
A writer for Die Welt reports that the former McLaren driver and Finn appears “paralysed” every time the retired multiple world champion and team ‘advisor’ Michael Schumacher strolls into the garage wearing a red uniform.
Italy’s authoritative sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport headlined its own story about the same issue by wondering if Kimi can be diagnosed with ‘Schumi Syndrome’.
Raikkonen, 27, struggled to climb through the field in Monaco after a qualifying crash, and two weeks earlier was also outperformed by race winner Felipe Massa in Barcelona before a car failure.
At both events, Schumacher was present, and former quadruple world champion and Ferrari driver Alain Prost is quoted as speculating that Raikkonen is “still not completely integrated” within the Maranello team.
Another former Ferrari driver, Eddie Irvine, told the Irish broadcaster Setanta: “I don’t know what it’s all about but he’s going to have to get his act together or stop drinking because if he’s not winning he can’t be drinking.”
