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Kimi 'not inferior to anybody' with right car - Arrivabene

Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene says there is nobody better than Kimi Raikkonen "when the car is there for him".

Raikkonen is out of contract at the end of the season but has been delivering more consistent performances alongside Sebastian Vettel this year, currently sitting 15 points behind his team-mate in the drivers' championship. While Arrivabene believes it is too early to make a decision on Raikkonen's future he has expressed confidence in the Finn's abilities.

“I have said many times that we have two world champion drivers," Arrivabene told Motorsport.com. "Sebastian wanted to come to Ferrari – it was his aspiration as it is for many other drivers. He is focused on his work and I think he wants to stay here for a long time.

"Kimi is giving his contribution to the constructors' championship, and in the first part of the 2016 season he has done well. When the car is there for him, I do not think that he is inferior to anybody.

"But it is too early to give definitive answers for next year – we still have two thirds of the season ahead of us.”

And Arrivabene says he treats both drivers equally in terms of being completely open with the Ferrari pair.

“It's a compromise. I have a very direct and honest relationship with them, and vice versa. We face each other very clearly and very bluntly. There is never a need to impose anything, we simply get on with what needs to be done. The characters are different.

“Kimi is more introverted, but in the past year and a half he has begun to talk more, and is very accurate when he provides guidance. Sebastian is open, is meticulous, and is a detail freak.

"Both are great professionals, and you can see that when things are not going well. In certain situations you could become demoralised, but we look over what happens and move on. If you find yourself at dinner, they are nice guys, smart guys, and who have to deal with many issues.

"They read a lot and have eyes that go beyond the paddock.”

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.