Yahoo Autos 2007 F1 Champ Kimi Raikkonen to Return for 1 More Season
Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi will return to the Alfa Romeo F1 team in 2021.
The team is eighth in the F1 Constructors' Championship standings.
Raikkonen is Formula 1's all-time leader in race starts with 327 and counting.
Kimi Raikkonen is getting an opportunity in 2021 to add to his Formula 1 records.
The 41-year-old Raikkonen, along with Antonio Gionovinazzi, were confirmed on Friday as the drivers for the Alfa Romeo F1 team next season.
Raikkonen owns the all-time record for starts in Formula 1 with 327, going into Sunday's race at Imola, Italy. The 2007 F1 World Champion has 21 career victories and has been a full-time driver in the series since 2001. Raikkonen has struggled this season, having scored just two points with a ninth-place finish in the Tuscany Grand Prix.
“Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN is more than a team to me, it is like a second family," Raikkonen said today on the team's website. "So many of the faces that were around me when I made my Formula 1 debut in 2001 are still here and the unique atmosphere of this team is what gives me that extra motivation to keep going in what will be my 19th season in the sport, next year.
"I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe in the team’s project and in what we feel we can achieve together. This is a team that values hard work over words and this fits well with my style: I am looking forward to next year and hopefully making some steps forward towards the front of the midfield with the team.”
Giovinazzi, 26, will be entering his third full-time season in the series with Alfa Romeo. Giovinazzi started two races in 2017 with Sauber. He's still seeking his first podium finish in F1. He is 16th in the drivers' standings. His best finish in 2020 was ninth in the season-opening race in Austria.
“Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN has been my home in Formula 1 for the last two seasons and I am happy this relationship can continue for one more year," Giovinazzi said. "The team has put a lot of faith in me and I have done my best to repay this confidence with hard work and commitment. We have achieved some good results and I feel I have done my part to make the team progress, but the road ahead is still long and there is much more we want to achieve together.
"There will be a lot of continuity between this season and the next one, so everything we work on between now and the end of the year will already count for next, and we are ready to give it all we have.”
Team principal Frederic Vasseur said that Raikkonen's experience and leadership will be welcomed back next year.
"I still see the passion and motivation in him every time I see him at work," Vasseur said. "He can be trusted to deliver 100% of what the car can produce and he is a true leader for the people working around him.
"Antonio finished last year’s campaign strongly and he picked up where he left off and kept improving throughout 2020. From the track to the engineering briefings, Antonio has played a crucial role for our team and he has thoroughly deserved a new contract for 2021."
Is this a lateral move for Alfa Romeo? The team is eighth in the F1 standings, ahead of just Haas and Williams. Start the Alfa Romeo talk in the comments section below.
