RUMBLING V8: MASSA VS RAIKKONEN

There has long been a notion doing rounds amongst the F1 media and fans that Kimi Raikkonen is the fastest, most consistent driver of today. It was not tough to believe it--many statistics, which we'll see in due course, have been in favour of him. The past two years, however, have not been all too easy for the Finn. Massa has had the measure of him in quite a number of races and has proved undoubtedly superior to Raikkonen in qualifying. What's then the realistic situation? Is Massa better or is it Raikkonen? Continue reading.

This is a 3 part article: the first part (this one) looks at Massa's statistics since his debut year 2002. Raikkonen will be the subject of the second part, while the final part will make direct comparisons between the two, hard-slugging teammates.

Team-Mate Comparison

Year	Team	Points	Position	Teammate Position
2002	Sauber	4	13	18
2003	Test Driver
2004	Sauber	12	12	11
2005	Sauber	13	11	14
2006	Ferrari	80	3	2
2007	Ferrari	94	4	1
2008*	Ferrari	34*	3*	2*

Or, if you'd rather do with a graphical representation...

(click to enlarge)

Massa has been ahead of his respective team-mate twice up until 2007. He trails Raikkonen this season by one point. His team-mates: Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Giancarlo Fisichella, Jacques Villeneuve ('97 World Champion), Michael Schumacher ('94, '95, '00, '01, '02, '03, '04 World Champion) and of course, Kimi Raikkonen ('07 World Champion).

Career Highlights