Frédéric Vasseur says he would like Kimi Räikkönen to continue with the Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN team in 2021, especially if one of the Ferrari Driver Academy drivers linked to the team comes in.
Antonio Giovinazzi looks set to depart the team after two seasons after failing to set the world alight, although the Italian has scored both of Alfa Romeo’s points in 2020 thanks to his ninth place finish in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix.
Mick Schumacher is the name being linked most to the team for 2021, but fellow Ferrari Driver Academy drivers Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman are also in contention should Giovinazzi depart.
However, Vasseur, the Team Principal of Alfa Romeo, says he would want to have Räikkönen in the team and it will be up to the Finn whether or not he wants to continue in the sport in 2021, twenty years after he made his debut for the Sauber F1 Team.
“You have some Ferrari drivers junior drivers, but you have Kimi first for us, to know what he wants to do and what we want to do with him and then we will see with the other ones,” Vasseur is quoted as saying by Planet F1 at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello. “If we are all interested to collaborate and the collaboration is good, it will make sense to continue.
“I won’t find someone more experienced than Kimi. It’s the advantage, that for sure the team-mate will be less experienced than Kimi.”
Another driver on the market that may find their way to Alfa Romeo is Sergio Pérez, who revealed earlier this week that he would depart the BWT Racing Point Formula One Team at the end of the season.
The Mexican also made his debut with Sauber back in 2011, and Vasseur says he is open to talks with Pérez about possibly joining the team for next season.
“I think that Checo is interested in all the seats on the grid, available at least,” said Vasseur. “I won’t move, I told you last week or the week before, in the course of September we will have the discussion with our drivers about next year and then we will decide together what we have to do.
“For sure now we have plenty of drivers available on the list.”
