At Ferrari's traditional pre-Christmas media dinner, president Sergio Marchionne said: "My personal opinion is that if we find the right key, [Kimi] Raikkonen drives like a God. But we need to find it."
The trouble for Ferrari is that it has spent seven seasons, across two stints, trying to locate this key and so far failed to find it on a regular basis.
Ferrari believes Raikkonen is a driver that works for its needs, though that doesn't necessarily mean he is the best available driver. The 2018 campaign will be his eighth with the team in total. That's some impressive commitment given that in Formula 1 world championship history, only six drivers have spent more time with a team.