Kimi Raikkonen could be the best on the grid at managing races, according to teammate Antonio Giovinazzi.
This season, the 2007 world champion has proved, even at 41, he’s still at the peak of his powers with some strong performances, notably making up 11 places on the opening lap at Portimao last month.
He has also continued to have the edge predominantly over Giovinazzi, something the Italian spoke about after both were confirmed at Alfa Romeo again for 2021 at Imola.
“In my eyes, Kimi continues to be one of the best, or maybe even the best, at dividing a race, how to use the tyres from the first to the last lap and I saw what he did on the first lap at Portimao,” he told Motorsport-Total.com.
“I’ve heard many journalists say that at his age he has reached the end of his Formula 1 career, but I can confirm that every time he comes to the track, he is very motivated and ready to take a top-spot fight.
“And if I see the goal ahead of him, it’s only because I had a perfect weekend.
“Kimi has a lot of experience and that helps a lot. It allows him to get the most out of the car, especially in the race.”
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Such has been Raikkonen’s performances this year, some were actually more surprised at Alfa’s decision to keep Giovinazzi over bringing in a Ferrari junior.
However, the 27-year-old is confident he can continue to help the Swiss-based team improve going forward.
“We are both important to the team,” said Giovinazzi. “My results naturally contributed to my contract extension. What we achieve, we achieve through the co-operation that Kimi and I maintain.
“I’ve always emphasised that our driving style is pretty similar. That can help the team to develop the car more quickly because we are on the same wavelength when it comes to our comments in the meetings.
“We hope to be able to increase our points a little so that we can keep fighting for P8 in the Constructors’ Championship.”