Montezemolo: Räikkönen will not make me miss Massa

The return of Kimi Räikkönen to the Team Ferrari only offers positives for Luca di Montezemolo. If the Finn's departure took place in a tense context, the Prancing Horse is certain that the return of the 2007 world champion will allow the Italian team to raise its level of play. “The break (in 2010 and 2011 when Kimi Räikkönen left to try his luck in WRC) was profitable for him, he returned to his best level, he won races and finished many », underlined the President of Ferrari in the Gazzetta dello Sport. “I wanted a driver who wouldn't make me miss Massa and I found one. I want more victories, more consistency, more podiums with Räikkönen. Alonso will be the first to benefit from it. »

The presence of two world champions within Scuderia Ferrari is an unusual scenario, the Italian team having often operated with a leading driver within the team. The status of Fernando Alonso could be called into question, but the Prancing Horse instead thought about the additional motivation that Kimi Räikkönen would bring to push the Asturian to surpass himself. “Fernando was always warned about Räikkönen’s choice”, clarified Luca di Montezemolo. “The alternative of a young driver for the entire 2014 World Championship season did not offer us certainty. Today's Räikkönen is one of the most competitive with Alonso, Hag et Hamilton."

Once the raw information of the recruitment of Kimi Räikkönen by Ferrari has been cleared away, what should we expect from this unprecedented association formed with Fernando Alonso? The first elements of the answer, and the consequences of this choice (Massa, Lotus, etc.) can be discovered this week in AUTOhebdo (available at all kiosks and here in digital version).