Kimi will be #2 at Ferrari

[jens]

Anyway Kimi is being taught a lesson this season sadly.

Wonder, what kind of lesson is this. Never ever go to Ferrari - this team just doesn't suit you! How come you make the same mistake twice! Though at least it brought the sole World Championship to him back in the day...

Last year here was a discussion whether Hülkenberg should have been hired instead. And while I am under no illusion that Hulk would have had an easy time in the difficult car and likely would be getting beaten by Alonso, I still believe at least he would have collected more points than Kimi...

[Zico]

I've often wondered why being No2 at Ferrari makes decent drivers look so average in comparison to No2's at other teams. I find it difficult to believe that Kimi has just suddenly lost it or that Fernando really is that much better than him.
Do Ferrari have a policy of providing only the No1 driver all the resources and latest parts at their disposal... or is it something else?

[jens]

I've often wondered why being No2 at Ferrari makes decent drivers look so average in comparison to No2's at other teams. I find it difficult to believe that Kimi has just suddenly lost it or that Fernando really is that much better than him.
Do Ferrari have a policy of providing only the No1 driver all the resources and latest parts at their disposal... or is it something else?

The most striking examples of #2 struggles were the former Briatore teams, were it Benetton or Renault.

It depends on in-team dynamics. For example we have seen a shift in Red Bull once Webber was replaced by Ricciardo. Many people feared that once Ricciardo takes over the Webber role, he would also become a #2 driver and suffer from reliability/ERS issues. However, the reality is that Ricciardo is a different driver to Webber, and everything in Red Bull seems different now.

So it depends on team dynamics, and next year Ferrari has different dynamics. Alonso is one of the most political drivers on the grid, and probably has more than 50% of the whole team's attention on his car. Vettel and Räikkönen get on well together, and I believe the co-operation between drivers could be better, more harmonious and beneficial for both of them.

However, the counterargument is that Massa is still getting beaten by Bottas, like he was by Alonso. So it looks like Massa has lost it ever since his 2009 accident and it is just natural for him to be an inconsistent driver, be it at Ferrari or Williams. And Räikkönen had his difficulties during his previous stay at Ferrari too, and that was alongside a different driver than Alonso. Just the car was better at that time, so Räikkönen's struggles were not highlighted as strikingly as right now.

So... Specifically why #2 drivers at Ferrari seem to struggle?
When Massa and Räikkönen were together, they seemed even. So both were good or struggling?
Since 2010 Massa has been inconsistent anyway, be it Ferrari or Williams.
Räikkönen seems also picky about car characteristics, and perhaps his communication with Ferrari engineers has never been as smooth as in other teams, and cultural differences have contributed to him not reaching his best.

I think Vettel-Räikkönen will provide slightly different dynamics in the #1-#2 driver scale, but I suspect it is naturally difficult for Kimi to adapt well at Ferrari, irrespective of his "status" in the team.

[yodasarmpit]

Kimi’s poor performance at Ferrari came as a bit of a shock, and elevated my opinion of Alonso even further.

I think Kimi may be one of those drivers that are not as able to adapt to a car if it doesn't suit is driving style, remember when Lotus switched to the long wheelbase he struggled until changing back again.
I imagine at Ferrari greater priority on the car design will be based on Alonso’s input as no1, well for the moment at least.