“I haven’t decided yet.” That’s Kimi Raikkonen’s standard response when asked about his future in F1, the Finn’s contract with Alfa Romeo expiring at the end of the season. Will he stay? According to the Italian media, Kimi is going to communicate his decision to Alfa Romeo by the end of September.
This has been Raikkonen’s worst season in Formula 1 since he made his debut way back in 2001, the Finn having failed to score a single point in eight races, until a ninth place finish at Mugello in the last race meant Kimi scored the first points of the season.. That puts him 16th in the drivers’ championship, and an ocean away from his position last year, when he was fighting to be best of the rest in eighth, with 19 points on the board.
Kimi admits the performance of the car “makes a difference” when coming to a decision on his future as “you’d much rather race in a better position or fighting for points”. If that was the sole factor, he’d hang his helmet up instantly given Alfa Romeo’s significant drop in performance this season, but it’s of course not as simple as that. He’s experienced enough to know that you can’t always have a good car and “there’s never a guarantee, wherever you go, that it’s going to be good or bad”.
What does matter is how happy he is – and right now, he seems to be ticking that box. Raikkonen is evidently more relaxed this year and is enjoying coming to the track and trying to make the car go faster, even if points are unlikely to be a reward any time soon.
Sticking with Alfa Romeo would suit his lifestyle, too, with the factory in close proximity to his home, which means he can spend much more time with his wife and two children – something he’s keen to do more of, as he doesn’t want to miss out on them growing up.
Kimi scored 43 of Alfa Romeo’s 57 points last year, the Finn playing a significant part in them securing eighth in the constructors’ championship. But he delivered so much more than that.
His feedback is among the best on the grid, and the fact a driver of his calibre wanted to drive for a team like Alfa Romeo served as significant motivation for the engineers and mechanics. Kimi is certainly in the running for this seat, but he needs to assure Vasseur of his motivation to continue. “The most important thing is the motivation,” said the Alfa Romeo team boss. “The motivation on the driver’s side first, because I think it’s difficult for Kimi to struggle with the pace when we are at the back.” Vasseur is also aware that his team need to make progress in terms of results this year to remain an attractive proposition to Raikkonen – but also other drivers.
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