Fred Vasseur Reveals Kimi Raikkonen’s Hidden Disappointment With Alfa Romeo F1

The 2021 Formula One season was Kimi Raikkonen’s last year on the grid. The Iceman has been on the grid for nearly two decades with a number of teams.

His last season with the Swiss-based outfit was quite disappointing as the team didn’t want to bring in upgrades, as they were planning for the forthcoming season.

Fred Vasseur reveals the reason Kimi Raikkonen was disappointed

It was a sad day when the Finnish driver announced that he was leaving F1 at the end of the season. However, it was sad for him as well, as he didn’t have a competitive car on the grid. Fred Vasseur, team principal of Alfa Romeo, reveals how disappointing it was for Kimi.

Speaking to GPBlog as quoted by Motorsport.com, Vasseur said, “Of course, for Kimi, this was not what he expected at that stage of his career. But I can understand very well that we have to make this decision from a company standpoint or a team standpoint.” 

When asked if Raikkonen reflected his “disappointment”, Vasseur added, “No, because I would say he was professional enough to avoid doing such a thing.

“My job is to put myself in their shoes and I can understand these guys perfectly… It’s very difficult for those in the pit wall or the garage when you know you won’t be updating for the next 20 races.” (Translated from Turkish via Google)

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Who will race for Alfa Romeo in 2022?

The new era of racing will also see a new driver line up at the Swiss-based outfit. Kimi Raikkonen was replaced by his countryman, Valtteri Bottas. In the other seat, Antonio Giovinazzi was replaced by Guanyu Zhou.

Alfa Romeo is optimistic for the forthcoming season, as both Bottas and Zhou are talented drivers behind the wheel. With the 2022 F1 season just around the corner, what are your expectations from the duo? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.

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