Why Kimi Raikkonen Moving to Sauber Makes Perfect Sense

It has now been officially confirmed that Kimi Raikkonen will race for Sauber in 2019 and 2020. Both he and Monegasque driver, Charles LeClerc will be swapping seats next year. But the question is, is it the right move for Sauber? Raikkonen is not getting any younger and is entering the twilight of his career. However, he has not let that stop him from being competitive.

Aside from 2 retirements, the veteran Finn has not finished lower than 6th. He currently sits 3rd in the championship behind Hamilton and Vettel. We analyse why the move to Sauber makes the perfect sense for him:

1) The Hunger to Race

As if his pole position in Monza wasn’t enough to convince anyone, Raikkonen has been very consistent. Barring retirements in Bahrain and in Barcelona, Raikkonen has never finished lower than 6th in 2018. He is also quite fast when he needs to be. This was once again proven in Monza when he set the fastest lap.

2) Media Appearances

It is a well-known fact that Kimi Raikkonen and current teammate Sebastian Vettel value their privacy. For a long time, neither driver had any social media accounts. It was only at the end of 2017 that Raikkonen set up an Instagram account. But he largely remains aloof from media appearances.

With his allegiance now with Alfa Romeo-Sauber, there are chances that he will have less media appearances compared to his time with Ferrari.

3) More Opportunities to Race

Sauber’s fight is with the midfield and as of recent years, the midfield has become increasingly competitive. With Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull in a class of their own, the battle is on for ‘Best of the Rest’. There is no dearth of competition with teams like Haas, Renault, Force India and Toro Rosso. So, Raikkonen has plenty of chances to feed his starving competitive spirit.

4) Ferrari’s Plan B

Another idea is that Raikkonen’s role with Sauber can also be interpreted as a reserve Ferrari role. If in the event that the new recruit, Charles LeClerc does not live up to the hype that the media and Ferrari have been building, Ferrari can always swap them back. Given that LeClerc has to go toe-to-toe with a driver of Sebastian Vettel’s calibre, things won’t be easy. What also works in Raikkonen’s favour is that he can make Vettel sweat if he wants.

5) Crowd Appeased

When rumours of Raikkonen’s exit from Ferrari began to spread, fans were up in arms. Things got to a point where they even launched a petition beseeching Ferrari to retain his services. Unfortunately for them, Ferrari did not take the bait and have gone ahead with their plans to sign LeClerc. But now that Raikkonen has joined his very first F1 team, fans will be delighted to see the stoic Finn once again. Sauber had better prepare itself for radio gold.

6) Raikkonen Can Propel the Team Up the Order

When Kimi Raikkonen left Formula One in 2010, he returned in 2012 with the newly founded Lotus F1 team. The Enstone team were expected to be minnows and at best, a midfield runner. Except for China that year, he finished in the points in every race without a retirement. Besides, who could forget that famous win in Abu Dhabi and the well-known “Leave Me Alone, I Know What I’m Doing” comment. His consistency saw him end up 3rd in the driver’s championship and Lotus wound up 4th in the constructors.

If he can do it with Lotus, who’s to say that he cannot do the same with Alfa Romeo-Sauber.