Arrivabene wants 'calm' Raikkonen amid speculation
Jul.6 - If the British grand prix changed the course of Kimi Raikkonen's future, Maurizio Arrivabene is not saying.
Reportedly on notice that Silverstone and Hungary are his last chances to up his game or be ousted for 2016, the Finn duly had a stronger weekend in Britain.
He was on or above the on-form Sebastian Vettel's pace all weekend, only faltering on Sunday with a poor tyre choice when the rain came down.
"It is obvious that in the case of rain, the driver works together with the team to make the call," said Ferrari team boss Arrivabene.
"What happened with Kimi is clear, as it is the driver who has to judge how the car is working on the track -- Kimi decided to come in early, which was a wrong decision," he added.
Mild rebuke aside, the Italian would not be drawn on Raikkonen's future beyond 2015, amid swirling speculation about his likely successor.
"I do not want to talk about Kimi's future," Arrivabene insisted.
"There are still ten races to go and when the time comes, we will make a decision if we have to. Kimi knows what we expect of him.
"At the same time everybody has been talking about this since Bahrain, which is not good in terms of the pressure on him.
"Imagine being having to jump into the car and drive at 300 kilometres per hour and all these things are said in the public all the time.
"What I want now is for Kimi to remain calm so he can do his job.
"I want to leave this subject alone," Arrivabene added. "We have two drivers. Kimi's future is in his hands, which is what I've been saying all along.
"At the right time we will tell you the solution."
For his part, 35-year-old Raikkonen said even he is not turning his mind to what might happen if he is ultimately dropped.
"I have no idea what will happen with Ferrari or what my life could be like (afterwards)," he told the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag. "It was the same six years ago when I stopped for the first time.
"I could be here or I could be at home. I have basically been travelling around my whole life so it (staying home) might be nice," Raikkonen added.
✅ Check out more posts with related topics:
