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(Motorsport-Total.com) – Now it’s official: On October 8, ‘Motorsport-Total.com’ exclusively announced that Kimi Räikkönen will continue his Formula 1 career at Alfa Romeo in 2021. Now the team has confirmed this information . “I am very happy that we are driving another season with Kimi and Antonio,” says team principal Frederic Vasseur.
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Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi have been teammates since 2019 Focus
Antonio Giovinazzi is Ferrari Junior and can keep the cabin, so Mick Schumacher has also been traded. Schumacher, it seems that currently, should be placed with Ferrari’s second client team, Haas. Presumably alongside Russian rookie Nikita Masepin, who would bring sponsorship money.
The fact that Raikkonen stayed was the last time doubts were sown in the crazy “Silly Season” when Sergio Pérez was linked to a signing by Alfa Romeo. From a purely financial point of view, that would have been understandable: While Raikkonen still earns a good salary, the Mexican would have brought with him a sizable portfolio of backers.
But Perez speculated about the possible Red Bull cockpit vacancy, so nothing stood in the way of a third year at Alfa Romeo with the previous two drivers. Good news for Raikkonen, who started his Formula 1 career with the team at Hinwil, which was still called Sauber at the time.
“Alfa Romeo is more than a team for me. It’s like a second family,” he says. “Many of the faces I saw in 2001 are still here, and the unique atmosphere of this team is what motivates me for my 19th season in the sport.” And: “If I didn’t believe in this project, I wouldn’t be here!”
There was a preview of how Raikkonen / Alfa can perform at best in Portimao, when the 41-year-old, with all his experience, made the right tire decision for the start and climbed from 16th to 6th in the first return. In the end, however, he fought with blunt weapons, also due to the inferior Ferrari engine.
Team boss Vasseur “still sees the passion and motivation in Raikkonen, every time he comes to work. It’s a reliable figure that I know will get 100 percent out of the car. And it’s real.” Leader of the people around him. “
“Antonio was very strong last year towards the end of the season and this year he picked up exactly there and developed from this base. Whether on the race track or at engineering briefings: he plays an important role for the team and has a new contract for 2021 deserves, “praised Vasseur the Ferrari junior.
