Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo, Spa-Francorchamps, 2020

Raikkonen hasn’t decided if he wants to race in F1 next year

2020 Belgian Grand Prix

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Kimi Raikkonen says he is yet to decide on whether he wants to continue racing in the 2021 F1 season.

The Alfa Romeo driver joined the team from Ferrari at the beginning of last season. Raikkonen, 40, is the oldest driver competing in Formula 1 and is set to become the most experienced driver of all time.

He is yet to score a point so far this season, but said the competitiveness of his car won’t necessarily be the deciding factor in whether he continues racing.

“Obviously that depends and also makes a difference,” he said. “You’d much rather race in a good positions and then fight for the points. But honestly, it’s never guaranteed that wherever you go in the new year that it’s going to be good or bad.

“I think the bigger picture is much more important for me. First of all, of course as a family obviously the kids are getting bigger and this year I’ve been able to be more at home so it’s great. I think that really is what makes it if I race or not. There’s going to be a point that I want to be home and to do other things.”

He has not ruled out the possibility of joining a different team next year if he has the chance to move.

“First of all I need to decide what I will do and then we will see,” he said. “Right now that’s the first thing to decide.

“Then I don’t really see that it will change anything for [whether] I race with [Alfa Romeo] or I don’t race. Like I said, until I decide what I do, those things are not really in my list.”

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2020 Belgian Grand Prix

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16 comments on “Raikkonen hasn’t decided if he wants to race in F1 next year”

  1. F1oSaurus (@)
    28th August 2020, 7:44

    It probably also depends on whether Perez is moving from Racing Point to Alfa Romeo

    1. Also, are there any F2 drivers that might be promoted? I’ve heard Tsunoda’s name mentioned several times in connection with a promotion to Toro Clothes Shop or whatever it’s called. And Shwartzman is superb. A team should grab him and prepare him for 2022.

      1. I think Zhou has massive potential too. Those are my 3 favourites from the series, regardless of the current standings.

        1. @shimks I’m glad you mentioned Zhou, I hadn’t heard of him until this season and what I’ve seen of F2, he looks very promising. Not perhaps in the limelight like a Schumacher or Schwartzman, but he always seems to be up there.

          1. @bernasaurus, I’m not so impressed with Mick yet. See below.

      2. Zhou (he has Renault ties, right?), Illot, Shwarzman, Tsunoda, well and then Ferrari’s Binotto seems to be excited about young Schumacher, I guess the name is a lure, since Mick still doesn’t seem to be the real deal from his haphazard form @shimks, @f1osaurus

        1. I agree, @bascb. Mick has good machinery and does make some awesome starts but he doesn’t exactly shine in hand-to-hand combat; at least not often enough. I do wish him all the best and hope he improves. The impression I get is that they are coaching him very delicately, aware of the ridiculous pressure on his shoulders to live up to his father’s name. He’s 21 years old so there’s still time to build him up but it can’t be easy for him.

    2. Perez going to Alfa Romeo?

      I don’t think so, as long as HAAS has a couple of seats available…

  2. Might not even be his choice, especially if Perez is available.

  3. Kimi retiring would be the final nail in F1’s coffin

    1. It would be like cake without icing, a celebration without champagne, wheels without a car, Beatles without McCartney and Lennon, Barcelona without Messi, tennis without Federer Djok or Nadal, Vegas without hotels, …..

      1. Good, Rodber …. great analogies, metaphors, similes, er, um … but too-true

      2. ‘coffins without nails’

  4. Only Kimi knows his appetite for F1. The sport will no doubt want him to continue because of his fanbase, he’s an ex-WC and he’s one of the few drivers with a persona.

    IMO if he isn’t getting a kick out of it anymore, it’s time to go. We’ll see

  5. I really like that he will just race for the sake of racing and doesn’t care about anything else.

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