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Formula 1
F1: Bubba Watson And Kimi Raikkonen - Left-Handed Greatness
New Masters champion Bubba Watson and 2007 F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen share the unique distinction of both being left-handed...
New Masters champion Bubba Watson (Left) and 2007 F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen (Right) have both achieved considerable success as left-handed athletes. (Photo: Getty Images)
On the heels of Bubba Watson’s victory at the Masters on Sunday, here's a little piece celebrating left-handed people everywhere, including Formula One. Watson is not a typical golfer. He’s never had a lesson and is an unorthodox player in the sense that he has tremendous raw talent that is exciting to watch and entertaining for so many fans of golf.
Formula One has its own left-handed raw talent in Lotus F1′s Kimi Raikkonen and, like Watson, the Finn has a throng of fans who can’t wait to watch him drive.
The team faced a unique problem in that Raikkonen was struggling with the steering of his E20 car after the first test. The team worked and worked and finally found the solution and posted it on the Lotus website. It seems the only left-handed driver on the grid brings his own unique perspective to a right-handed industry.
“This is something we should have picked up on at an earlier stage, but having never dealt with a left-hander before, it didn’t cross our minds," Lotus F1′s James Allison explained on the team's website. "Drivers naturally have a tendency to ‘feel’ grip levels of a car predominantly with their stronger hand, as this is the side which will do the majority of work in guiding the car through the corners. Not only does this explain Kimi’s concerns with the E20’s steering, but it also makes it all the more impressive that he has managed to get the hang of the controls using what is, in theory, the wrong hand.”
The team has re-designed the steering wheel for Raikkonen and it will make its debut in China this weekend:
“We naturally tend to put the more important switches on the right," Allison said. "They have now been moved to the left and we’re confident that this will solve Kimi’s issues.”
Raikkonen seems happy with the changes, and suggested that the simple solution wasn’t too simple to discover:
“It may seem like an obvious thing to miss, but with all the time spent focusing on setup, I just forgot to mention it to the engineers," he said. "It makes a big difference to the way the car feels and also how I use all the dials and buttons. I think with the new wheel we can push even harder in China; I’m confident we’ll get a strong result."
Like a left-handed golf club, Raikkonen has the same need for his equipment to be tailored to his left-handed character. His brain approaches life from a left-handed viewpoint and, like Watson, Raikkonen has shown that left-handed people have made their mark on a sport they love. In fact, the Masters has had five of the last 10 victories at the Augusta National course taken by a left-handed person.
Raikkonen is a World Champion in his own right.
Formula One has its own left-handed raw talent in Lotus F1′s Kimi Raikkonen and, like Watson, the Finn has a throng of fans who can’t wait to watch him drive.
The team faced a unique problem in that Raikkonen was struggling with the steering of his E20 car after the first test. The team worked and worked and finally found the solution and posted it on the Lotus website. It seems the only left-handed driver on the grid brings his own unique perspective to a right-handed industry.
“This is something we should have picked up on at an earlier stage, but having never dealt with a left-hander before, it didn’t cross our minds," Lotus F1′s James Allison explained on the team's website. "Drivers naturally have a tendency to ‘feel’ grip levels of a car predominantly with their stronger hand, as this is the side which will do the majority of work in guiding the car through the corners. Not only does this explain Kimi’s concerns with the E20’s steering, but it also makes it all the more impressive that he has managed to get the hang of the controls using what is, in theory, the wrong hand.”
The team has re-designed the steering wheel for Raikkonen and it will make its debut in China this weekend:
“We naturally tend to put the more important switches on the right," Allison said. "They have now been moved to the left and we’re confident that this will solve Kimi’s issues.”
Raikkonen seems happy with the changes, and suggested that the simple solution wasn’t too simple to discover:
“It may seem like an obvious thing to miss, but with all the time spent focusing on setup, I just forgot to mention it to the engineers," he said. "It makes a big difference to the way the car feels and also how I use all the dials and buttons. I think with the new wheel we can push even harder in China; I’m confident we’ll get a strong result."
Like a left-handed golf club, Raikkonen has the same need for his equipment to be tailored to his left-handed character. His brain approaches life from a left-handed viewpoint and, like Watson, Raikkonen has shown that left-handed people have made their mark on a sport they love. In fact, the Masters has had five of the last 10 victories at the Augusta National course taken by a left-handed person.
Raikkonen is a World Champion in his own right.
Grand Prix of Bahrain
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