A lot of people refer back to Fernando’s time at McLaren in 2007, and cite
that season as proof that he is liable to throw his toys out of the pram if
he does not get his way.
I disagree. I believe Fernando lost his cool because he felt destabilised and
betrayed by the fact that McLaren did not deliver on promises made, rather
than because a rookie Lewis Hamilton was challenging him.
In my opinion, Fernando is the complete driver and will raise his game with
Kimi there for the next two seasons, which is a worry for everyone else.
Ross Brawn might say that Mercedes have the strongest pairing in Lewis and
Nico Rosberg.
Red Bull principal Christian Horner might try to claim that Sebastian Vettel
and Daniel Ricciardo is the best line-up. But on paper at least, no one can
compete with Fernando and Kimi.
I happen to think the new engine package will largely determine who wins next
year, but with James Allison and Rory Byrne back on the technical side, and
Kimi and Fernando in the cockpit, Ferrari are starting to look very strong.