Kimi’s quiet march to the top…2007 redux?

Points come and go in Formula One and with the current points system, that can happen really quickly. One need look no further than Fernando Alonso’s DNF at Spa or Jenson button’s DNF at Monza to see the impact. This year is all about consistency on inconsistent tires and inconsistent race tracks with consistent KERS, DRS and aero packages that have to be tweaked to make the most of a race. Alonso’s world championship lead, at the moment, is born from consistency and he nearly lost it after his DNF at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Perhaps it’s no surprise then that Lotus F1’s Kimi Raikkonen has quietly assumed third place in the driver’s championship by successively scoring ten points-paying finishes. While the Lotus F1 car may not have had the legs for a win last Sunday in Italy, the team have focused on being consistent and placing a premium on aerodynamic efficiency as well as reliability. While the sidelined driver, Roman Grosjean, watched the race at Monza, Raikkonen sped to a fifth-place finish and this propelled him ahead of Sebastian Vettel, who only one week ago resided in 2nd place in the championship run, as the man on move.

Vettel, like Alonso and Button, experienced a DNF at Monza, the home of his maiden victory, and plummeted from Alonso nearest challenger to a forth-place struggler. McLaren’s LEwis Hamilton has claimed second place in the title chase with consistency and Alonso’s third-place finish on home soil netted a gain in his defense of his standings and a possible third world championship title.

Back in 2007, Kimi Raikkonen quietly snuck up on the championship and won it at the final race by being consistent and good. Could the Finn make it another championship on 2012 via a strong point-paying finish at each race? The odds are steep but Raikkonen has the talent and the team seems to have the tools. Singapore may be an interesting race in two weeks time with the new “device” that stalls the wing passively and adds more top-line speed. What do you think? Have Ferrari got the package to hold off the wolves? Can McLaren shake off the DNF of Button at Monza and can Lewis Hamilton’s personal contract issues disolve enough to allow the team to stay focused? The Body language from the 2008 champion said a lot and many speculate he’s on teh way out of McLaren.

Perhaps Raikkonen could get close to the title but as he has said recently, counting championships doesn’t excite him. Funny that a man who isn’t motivated by world titles should be such a threat to those who do.