Direct answer
Räikkönen’s 2007 title and why it complicates the premise
Ferrari did not simply waste Kimi Räikkönen’s title chances. He won the 2007 Drivers’ Championship after a late-season surge and remains Ferrari’s most recent Drivers’ World Champion.
For supporters looking back at the Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel years, that matters. Ferrari delivered one title with Räikkönen. The stronger case is that the team later failed to maximise several opportunities involving both drivers.
Ferrari’s strategy failures affecting both drivers in 2016
In 2016, Ferrari could not consistently match Mercedes or Red Bull. Even so, rare victory opportunities appeared, and poor strategy calls prevented Vettel and Räikkönen from taking them.
That is a clear team failure. It affected both drivers, not just one side of the garage.
How technical problems and driver error ended the 2017 challenge
Ferrari’s 2017 car put the team level with Mercedes during the first half of the season. Technical problems and driver error then pushed Ferrari out of title contention in the second half.
The distinction is important. Reliability belongs on Ferrari’s side of the ledger. Driver error does not.
Why Ferrari lost ground to Mercedes despite a fast 2018 car
Ferrari had what Formula 1 described as the fastest package for much of 2018. Mercedes still out-raced, out-strategized and out-developed Ferrari.
This is the strongest evidence that Ferrari failed to maximise Vettel’s title opportunity. The car had front-running pace, but the team lost ground through execution and development.
Separating team failures from Vettel’s costly mistakes
Vettel also made costly mistakes during the 2018 campaign. At Monza, he acknowledged that his final qualifying lap was not good enough for pole.
So 2018 cannot be reduced to Ferrari wasting a driver. Ferrari fell short as a team, while Vettel’s own performance also shaped the outcome.
Verdict: what Ferrari wasted and what it did not
Ferrari did not waste Räikkönen’s entire spell: he became world champion in red in 2007. But Ferrari did leave results on the table through poor strategy in 2016, technical trouble in 2017, and weaker racing, strategy and development than Mercedes in 2018.
The fairest verdict is shared responsibility. Ferrari failed to maximise genuine opportunities, especially with Vettel. Driver errors also contributed in 2017 and 2018. Ferrari has not won another Drivers’ Championship since Räikkönen’s 2007 title, despite later employing Vettel and other champions.
What to do next
Review the cited sources and apply the relevant guidance described above.
Sources
- Ferrari - Year by Year | Formula 1®
- Vettel: Ferrari order strategy dictated Raikkonen tow
- All you need to know about Ferrari ahead of 2026
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