RAIKKONEN AND REUTEMANN



Carlos Reutemann career 1972-1982



Kimi Raikkonen, who raced in Forumula 1 from 2001-2009, and Carlos Reutemann, 1972-1982, had at least as much natural talent as the best of their rivals: outstanding speed, sensitivity and racecraft. Yet neither seemed to fulfill the promise and high expectations that we the fans, or many in the media or pitlane expected.

Completely different characters, they did share some similarities: both could be enigmatic, neither were great communicators and they did not readily befriend team-mates. Each ‘hit a wall’ when faced with unexpectedly fast team-mates: Reutemann in his fourth and fifth seasons with Carlos Pace, and Raikkonen in his seventh to ninth seasons with Filipe Massa..

Kimi and Carlos were nevertheless superb drivers, as shown in the Driver Ratings table below. The ultimate pace is represented by the figure 100.0, slower speeds are shown in 0.1 increments. These can also be read as percentages or as a best/fastest lap of 100.0 seconds.

Season	Raikkonen		Reutemann
	Year	Rating	Year	Rating
One	2001	100.7	1972	101.0
Two	2002	100.4	1973	100.6
Three	2003	100.4	1974	100.5
Four	2004	100.3	1975	100.7
Five	2005	100.1	1976	100.8
Six	2006	100.0	1977	100.4
Seven	2007	100.3	1978	100.1
Eight	2008	100.3	1979	100.3
Nine	2009	100.2	1980	100.6
Ten	-	-	1981	100.3
Eleven	-	-	1982	100.3

Bear in mind that great drivers such as Hunt and Peterson peaked at 100.3, and world champions Graham and Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and Emerson Fittipaldi at 100.5. This puts the speed of Raikkonen and Reutemann in perspective.

Kimi started at Sauber-Ferrari phenomenally at 100.7 for a rookie, much like Senna and Schumacher. After slightly outpacing team-mate Heidfeld, McLaren-Mercedes snapped Raikkonen up for the next five years. This could not have been a better career move: the team were top-rate and Kimi had experienced Coulthard against which to measure himself and learn. DC rated 100.5 to 100.6 for the three years 2002-2004 and won twice. Kimi was faster and also recorded two wins. They were up against the Ferrari-Schumacher steamroller, despite the McLaren-Mercedes being virtually as fast, driver-neutral.

For 2005 Coulthard was replaced by young charger Montoya. Would the bombastic Colombian blow Kimi away? Would ‘The Iceman’ prevail? Ferrari slipped with their Bridgestone tyre coordination, and their place as main contenders was taken by Renault and Alonso, who managed 7 wins. Montoya rated at an impressive 100.3 in his first year with McLaren, which perhaps pushed Kimi to 100.1. He consequently managed 7 wins and 6 poles! Great by any standards. Montoya took three wins and one pole. McLaren were the best team with ten wins to Renault’s eight.

The silver Mercedes-powered cars slipped for 2006. Although Raikkonen peaked at the ultimate 100.0 and Montoya remained on 100.3, they did not score a single win! Montoya walked out midway and left F1. Ferrari were back, with Michael and Massa scoring nine times to Alonso-Fisichella’s eight for Renault.

Michael Schumacher retired and Ferrari at last got Raikkonen for 2007, whom Jean Todt had long praised as Michael’s successor. The likable Felipe Massa, who had got on well with and learned from Schumacher, was expected to play a supporting role. Surely, in the face of Kimi’s sheer speed, experience and smoothness? Although Kimi won his Ferrari debut in Australia, Massa surprised in being just as fast, taking three poles to Raikkonen’s one in the first seven races! Felipe won two races before Kimi managed two more. Massa won again, then Kimi took three near season end to take the title. It was close, Ferrari with nine wins , Renault eight.

For 2008 Raikkonen and Massa again equal-rated at 100.3, but Felipe did better: six poles to Kimi’s two and almost won the drivers title with six wins, Raikkonen taking two. Everyone was surprised at this, except Felipe’s engineer Rob Smedley. Kimi was not quite at ease with the Ferrari’s balance and did suffer some bad luck. But was he rattled by his team-mate’s speed? The 2007 and 2008 the Ferrari’s were the fastest, most successful cars.

Raikkonen’s last season in F1 with Ferrari in 2009, was strange one: he was slightly faster in speed than Felipe, but could not outshine him in the races. Then Massa suffered his serious accident and injuries in Hungary which put him out for the season. Kimi seemed to shine a bit more, picked up pace to rate 100.2 and managed one win. The Ferrari was half-a second-lap off-pace though. This was far too much to give away in a season dominated by the ‘Honda’- Brawn-Mercedes of Button and Barrichello, and by a surging red-Bull-Renault team led by Vettel.

Raikkonen retired to go rallying for 2010, the balance of his contract having been paid by Maranello to make way for Alonso! It was felt that Kimi’s heart was not sufficiently in it. Difficult to say, for Kimi hardly said anything, he did not play soccer behind the pits with the mechanics as Massa and Schumacher did...

Going back almost thirty years to Reutemann: he arrived in F1 with a bang, by setting his Brabham-Cosworth on pole at his 1972 Buenos Aires debut. This was deceptive, however, for Carlos’car had been fitted with super-grippy tyres that faded within a few laps. In that rookie season he easily showed superior speed to histeam-mates, the aging Graham Hill and Wilson Fittipaldi.

Carlos immediately showed talent in rating 100.6 then 100.5 in his second and third seasons with Bernie Ecclestone’s Brabham team, again easily outpacing fellow Brabham drivers Wilson Fittipaldi and John Watson. For 1974 Carlos managed three wins in the sharp-edged BT44. It looked as if his promise was being realised...

Bernie’s hiring of Brazilian Carlos Pace in 1975-6 stopped the Argentinian’s rise! Pace was immediately very fast, and Reutemann slowed to 100.7 then 100.8! Most unusual for driver of such talent. He did not see the 1976 season out at Brabham. For the 1976 Italian GP Ferrari employed Reutemann, thinking reasonably that Lauda would not be available, let alone competitive after his near-fatal, Nurburgring crash. Lauda was incensed and determined to beat Carlos at Monza: bandaged and in severe pain, Niki finished an amazing fourth, Carlos ninth. Reutemann sat out the rest of the season.

Taken on full-time by Ferrari for 1977, Carlos was disliked, out-psyched and again out-raced by Lauda all year, with 3 wins and the driver’s championship to Reutemann’s single win! Carlos’s rating had improved though to 100.4, the same as Jones and Scheckter in their peak championship years. Lauda walked out before year-end to lead the Brabham team, and Carlos was joined by the very young Gilles Villeneuve.

Carlos and Gilles got on well at Ferrari in 1978. They raced at 100.1 and 100.9 respectively and gave the dominant ‘ground-effect’ Lotus-Cosworths of Andretti and Peterson a run for the championship. Carlos managed four fine wins, Gilles one. Unfortunately for the next year, 1979, Enzo took Jody Scheckter on board. Carlos signed up to join Andretti at Lotus. The Lotus-Cosworth 79 was way off-pace as rival teams, particularly Williams, out-designed them for ground-effects. Mario and Carlos equal-rated at 100.3, but Andretti did not get on with the Argentinian. Lack of car speed probably de-motivated both drivers. Carlos outraced Mario and scored more than twice as many points, but the poor car disguised these two great drivers’ performances.

The last team move for Reutemann was to Williams for 1980. His team-mate was Alan Jones, who had very ably led the team from its formation in 1978. In 1980 Jones raced at his peak of 100.4, won five times and the Championship; Carlos at 100.6 and just one win.

For 1981 Reutemann outpaced the Australian, at 100.3 vs 100.5! The team-mate problem started at the second event in Brazil. Carlos was leading Jones, when a sign came from the pit: let Jones through! Carlos ignored it and won, the Williams team’s second one-two of the season! Jones was livid and outspoken, and Frank backed him. The two drivers hardly spoke to each other for the rest of the season. They each won twice, but Piquet/Brabham and Prost/Renault each managed three wins. The season finale at Las Vegas was disaster for Carlos, who could have won the championship from pole. Instead he started slowly, finished eighth and afterwards said his car’s suspension was not right. Jones gleefully won the race and Piquet/Brabham-Cosworth the championship. So disappointing for the many Reutemann fans...

Jones promptly retired from F1 and Carlos continued for 1982 to lead Williams, teamed with the young and very fast Keke Rosberg. On season average, Carlos raced at 100.3 to Keke’s 100.5. Carlos finished a fine second to Prost’s turbo Renault at Kyalami’s season opener. He then dropped out in the next race in Brazil from a collision with Arnoux’s Renault, while Rosberg finished an outstanding second. Like Jones, Reutemann then promptly announced his retirement! Both quoted their dislike of the FIA regs and the hard-sprung cars. These team-inconsiderate actions helped define Frank Williams’ attitude to drivers forever after. Understandably.

Results: 18 wins and 16 poles by Raikkonen, 12 wins and 6 poles by Reutemann.

Raikkonen seemed less affected by team politics, if at all. For expert analysis of Raikkonen’s driving style, refer to Peter Windsor’s race reports for 2008. Peter was a great friend of Reutemann’s, and has written extensively on Carlos’ career, as has Alan Henry. Kimi had better cars overall, with absolute, top-rated ones in 2003, 2007 and 2008; Carlos only in 1980. As always the car/team were critical to results, as was the competition each season. Coincidentally both had rookie years in cars that were 1 second-a-lap off-pace. Their talent soon ensured top drives thereafter. Perhaps neither driver was as obsessed with winning, or had that passionate need, as had Fangio, Ascari, Lauda, Senna or Schumacher? Whatever the motivation, they were among the most gifted of drivers. 

© Patrick O’Brien. Nothing from this page can be used without the permission of the author, Patrick E. O’Brien.

CLARK VS SURTEES

My blog feature “Fangio and Moss”, posted 9 May 2011 and comparing the two drivers’ratings, exposed the fact that Moss was actually faster than Fangio in the Argentinian’s last three seasons. My Ratings System now reveals a similar mis-perception of the sixties era when the media and posterity claimed Clark’s unrivalled superiority.

Jim Clark’s career is well-known and has been well-documented. He has received all the accolades his talent deserved. The first to score more wins than Fangio, his winning seemed almost effortless. But was he superior to all his peers?

What of Clark’s1960 debut season’s Lotus team-mate, John Surtees? John merits hardly a mention in commentaries or discussions on the ‘greatest drivers’. In six starts Clark managed phenomenal third, fifth and sixth places. In that same 1960 season, Surtees’ four starts yielded a second place in the British GP in his second appearance! John started his third race, the Portuguese GP, from pole and was leading for half the distance until he slid on tramlines and crashed out. The field included the experienced Moss and Ireland and fellow rookie Clark, all in identical Lotus-Climax 18s.

John Surtees was just as unlucky as Moss, concerning his cars and teams. Consequently he always was and remains under-rated. Bare race results do not necessarily tell the whole story, as is obvious from Moss’ career.

Consequently in the years 1962 to 1968, grand prix racing was denied the intense battles between two great, equally-matched drivers, Surtees and Clark, as were seen between Prost and Senna.

How Surtees rates against Clark, car-neutral, is shown in the Driver Ratings table. The figure 100.0 represents the ultimate, fastest speed; increments of 0.1 being slower. 100.0 can be a factor, a percentage or a lap time of 100.0 seconds, for easier reference:

Season	Year	Surtees Rating	Clark Rating
One	1960	100.7	102.2
Two	1961	100.0	100.5
Three	1962	100.0	100.2
Four	1963	100.0	100.0
Five	1964	100.0	100.0
Six	1965	100.1	100.0
Seven	1966	100.2	100.0
Eight	1967	100.3	100.0
Nine	1968	100.4	100.0
Ten	1969	100.5	-
Eleven	1970	100.6	-
Twelve	1971	101.0	-
Thirteen	1972	101.5	-

A multiple Champion on motorcycles, Surtees transferred to cars at age 25 in 1960. Due to his continuing motorcycling commitments, John raced in just four of the season’s nine events, driving for Colin Chapman’s Team Lotus. He finished second in his second race, the British GP! For his third outing in Portugal, he took the pole and led half the race! The field included identical Lotus-Climax 18s driven by Moss and team-mates Clark and Ireland, and Title holder Brabham in his Cooper-Climax. Unfortunately Surtees crashed; conflicting reports claim fuel leaked onto the pedals, his foot slipped and/or the car slid on tramlines and he over-corrected. To outshine Clark to this extent? Certainly one of the best debuts of all time.

Fate then intervened to adversely affect Surtees’career. An offer by Colin Chapman, which would have meant Innes Ireland being dropped from Team Lotus, led to Surtees turning down the Lotus drive for 1961. John would happily, have partnered Jim Clark, with whom he got on well. What a team they’d have made? Surtees-Clark would surely have rivalled prost-SEnna of 1988-9, Nuvolari-Varzi of 1930, Chiron-Varzi of 1931-2, Nuvolari-Caracciola of 1932 as one of the strongest pairings of all time.

John moved to a privately-funded team, being promised the latest Cooper-Climax. Coopers refused to sell their latest models, so Surtees had to make do and struggled throughout 1961 in a year-old Cooper-Climax, which was 1.8 seconds-a-lap off-pace driver-neutral! For 1962 John headed the new Lola-Climax team and managed two second places. But there were chassis problems and the Lola was, on season’s average, 1.5 seconds per lap off-pace. No matter how good the driver, such a car deficiency is impossible to overcome.

Admiring his talent, skill and technical abilities, Enzo Ferrari signed Surtees for 1963, where he remained until early 1966. Despite popular perception, the Ferraris of the mid-sixties were down on power! Irrespective of their use of V6, V8 and horizontally- opposed 12 cylinder engines 1963-1965, the Climax and BRM V8s were just too good. As Surtees once said: “I used to watch in frustration when coming out of corners, the BRMs and Climaxes just pulled away.” The best Ferrari of these years Rated at 100.6. Maranello grand prix cars suffered lack of development until after the Le Mans race every June, whereby Ferrari made his money to fund his F1 racing. Surtees managed just three wins in these three seasons. With his car giving away 0.6 seconds per lap to such opposition as Clark in the Lotus-Climax, Gurney in the Brabham-Climax and Graham Hill and Stewart in the BRMs, John could do little.

The first year of the 3-litre formula in 1966 gave Surtees his best chance. For the first time since 1961 Ferrari had the fastest car: the V12-engined Tipo 312. But there were political problems at Maranello: some personnel wanted the Surtees out: one wanted his F1 drive, the team manager disliked him! For the season-opener at Monaco, John wanted to drive the more wieldy 2.4 litre Tasman Ferrari V6. The team manager refused, giving the smaller car to team-mate Bandini, who finished second! Clark’s wieldy 2-litre Lotus-Climax was on pole, but Surtees led from the start in the big 312 until the rear axle failed after 13 of 100 laps. To prove the point about the smaller cars at Monaco, Stewart won in a 2-litre BRM. This was a win Surtees would undoubtedly have managed.

Three weeks later at a rain-soaked Spa, John won in the 3-litre Ferrari. He was promptly sacked on politico-commercial grounds! What a loss for Ferrari and for Surtees.

Surtees joined the Cooper-Maserati team. His outstanding technical abilities in car developmentand set-up improved the big, heavy machines, to claim a second and a third place, with fastest laps each time, before winning the 1966 season finale in Mexico City.

For 1967 and 1968 Surtees drove for the Honda Team, but the cars were over a second a lap too slow. He managed to win once at Monza, but as he shouldered more and more of the development and design decisions, his energy and driver rating levels diminished. A year with BRM in 1969 yielded a best finish of third place. For 1970 John purchased and raced an old McLaren-Cosworth that was 1.5 secs/lap slow. Launching his own Surtees-Cosworth car, for 1970 and 1971 the Surtees-Cosworths were also about 1.5 secs off-pace. John never finished higher than fifth. In 1972 the new Surtees model was far faster, but JS only raced once and retired in the race and for good.

Surtees was faster than Clark for the first three seasons! This has to be down to sheer talent, but also to John’s superior, race-hardened experience. Albeit at World Championship motorcycling level. This must have counted. In addition, John became known for his abilities at setting-up cars which could already have benefitted him.. Surtees and Clark started in F1 in 1960 at ages 26 and 25. Clark was very cautious, rating at 102.2, about the same as Nigel Mansell’s first part-season. For 1960 and in same-cars Moss raced at the ultimate 100.0, team-mates Ireland and Surtees at 100.7. Jim overcame his ‘hesitance’ and got to ultimate pace within four years. Surtees managed this in his second season! He did however start slipping slightly from 1965, due to the unhappy atmosphere at Maranello. In contrast Clark enjoyed his entire eight-year career in harmony and great friendship with Lotus team patron, Colin Chapman. Due to increasing team responsibilities and poor cars, by 1969 Surtees’ Driver Rating had dropped to 100.6, which was enough for Jack Brabham and Phil Hill in top-rated cars, to win their driver titles.

Good driver-manager relationships have always produced outstanding results: Nuvolari with Alfa Romeo’s Vittorio Jano 1930-1936, Caracciola with Alfred Neubauer at Mercedes- Benz 1926-1939; Stewart with Ken Tyrrell 1969-1973, Prost with Ron Dennis of McLaren 1984-1989, followed by Hakkinen 1993-2001, Michael Schumacher with Ferrari’s Jean Todt 1996-2006 and Alonso with Benetton’s Flavio Briatore 2003-2006.. Surtees seldom had the benefits of such good, personal intra-team relationships for long. When he did, as with Lola’s Eric Broadley in 1962, the car was off-pace.

Given good enough machinery, there is no doubt John Surtees would have remained the greatest threat to Clark until the Scot’s untimely fatal crash early in 1968. Surtees’ sheer driver talent and technical abilities were outstanding. His two great wins at that real driver’s circuit, the old Nurburgring, in underpowered-Ferraris in 1963 and 1964 and an outstanding second place in the more off-pace Lola-Climax in 1962 were glimpses of what might have been. John’s meagre six wins compared with Clark’s then-record of twenty-five is in no way a reflection of their relative abilities. What a difference the cars make! Surtees, the most under-rated great driver of all?

© Patrick O’Brien. Nothing from this page can be used without the permission of the author, Patrick E. O’Brien.