Kimi Raikkonen's manager David Robertson believes things can get even better for the World Champion next season.
'Ice Man' manager claims Hamilton "didn't deserve" 2007 title
Kimi Raikkonen's manager David Robertson believes the 'best man won' the World Championship and also thinks that the Finn will be 'unbeatable' next season.
Having being thwarted in title bids in both 2003 and 2005, Raikkonen joined Ferrari after Michael Schumacher's retirement at the end of last season and faced many challenges in the early days of his career with the Maranello team.
Despite winning the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Raikkonen was generally shaded in the first half of the year by team-mate Felipe Massa.
Besides the task of replacing a seven-times world champion, Raikkonen was also among a number of drivers who took time to adapt to a switch to Bridgestone control tyres.
Victory
Yet Raikkonen eventually came good and sensationally managed to overhaul Lewis Hamilton's seven-point advantage atop the drivers' championship in Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix - victory at Interlagos being his sixth of the season.
And Robertson anticipates even tougher times ahead for Raikonnen's rivals in 2008, assuming Ferrari can produce a competitive, reliable car.
"To be honest with you, and not just because I'm his management, but the best man won," Robertson told
Autosport.
"He would have won but for retirements in the past, and if he had not had the two failures on the Ferrari this year, it would have been over even before we got here.
"But getting used to the tyres, a new team and all that and still doing it is great. The good news is that you have got a great British driver, who will grow, but he didn't deserve it this year - in my book anyway."
Decision
Robertson also admitted that many questioned Raikkonen's decision to join Ferrari given the loss of key personnel - including technical director Ross Brawn - at the start of the season.
However, he feels the Championship victory fully justifies Raikkonen's decision to leave McLaren.
"It is the first time Ferrari have won in three years, so for Michael to go and all these top guys to go and to win again is great," he added.
"Everyone was telling us we had made the wrong decision, but the only one that we were really, really concerned about was (Ferrari team principal) Jean Todt. I am a total believer in him, and I know the way he works.
"He works harder than any of these guys up here.
"So if they have the car next year, Kimi will be unbeatable."
