“Let him calm down” – Fred Vasseur confirms Alfa Romeo is interested in keeping Kimi Raikkonen as an advisor but wants the Finn to take some time off first.
Alfa Romeo team principal Fred Vasseur wants Kimi Raikkonen to continue with the team in some capacity but is aware of the numerous offers he has from various racing categories.
We’ve witnessed 4 seasons of Kimi Raikkonen:
The emerging superstar at Sauber/McLaren/Ferrari (01-09)
The midfield maestro at Lotus (12-13)
The reliable no 2 at Ferrari (14-18)
The “What if Taki Inoue had real talent” driver at Alfa Romeo (19-21) #F1 pic.twitter.com/K710b3Yi0r— F1 in the 2000s (@CrystalRacing) September 3, 2021
But before committing to anything, Vasseur wants Raikkonen to take some time off and spend time with his family. He also spoke highly of the Finn’s contribution to the team’s development and public image.
“I saw already he had some proposals from other series or things, I think it is much better to let him calm down and then we will have time to discuss.
“I would be more than keen to have Kimi on board somewhere but I think he has to take time. It would be a mistake to take another option today and say ‘Ok, I will do this, I will do this.’
“Kimi was able to bring to the team a huge experience. He drove the last 20 years in a winning team, always fighting for the championship, and this was hugely important to the development of the team.
“I am not speaking about results but mid-term development and the project he knows perfectly where the performance is coming from and also, in parallel, in terms of image for the team it was a huge push.
“I would have loved to have better results and do more, but it is also the purpose of racing that you always want to do more and to get more, but it is like it is and the support from Kimi was a huge one.”
