Raikkonen sketched own brake pedal changes
Alfa Romeo team boss Frederic Vasseur says Kimi Raikkonen gets more joy and motivation from Formula 1 as a "hobby", citing his driver sketching out his own brake pedal changes as an example.
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Raikkonen said ahead of this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix that F1 feels more like a hobby for him since his switch from Ferrari to Alfa.
Vasseur explained that the 2007 world champion feels happy and motivated in an environment with high expectations but less pressure than its famous Italian engine supplier.
The Alfa chief said Raikkonen was able to switch off and relax when necessary but also paid attention to "every single small detail".
"He was in the office last week, he made some drawings of the brake pedals, because he wanted to do some changes," said Vasseur. "And he made some drawings on a paper sheet. Honestly I like it! It's a kind of commitment, and is impressive."
Raikkonen's proactivity and engineering nous has already been on display at Alfa in pre-season testing, when he repaired his own seat.
On track, he has scored points in both his races for Alfa so far with an eighth and a seventh in Australia and Bahrain, which have put him sixth in the championship and the top driver outside of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.
Alfa is also best of the rest in the constructors' contest too, despite Raikkonen's teammate Antonio Giovinazzi not yet registering a points finish.
Vasseur said that Raikkonen is not suffering from "the bad side of 'hobby'", or not taking his Alfa campaign seriously, because it brings the best out of him.
"It is a great approach, to be fully committed when he is at work and to release the pressure when you are outside of this system," he said.
"He doesn't take it easy. He is fully dedicated, fully focused and he is pushing like hell on every single detail. You can ask the engineers. Nobody will consider that Kimi is on vacation!"
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
The driver who can wreck F1's 2020 silly season
Alfa Romeo must do better in "chaotic" races - Vasseur
Honda: Verstappen relationship 'like a young Senna'
The contrasting fortunes of F1's big-name moves to Ferrari
Raikkonen enjoys "old-style" racing without F1 DRS in NASCAR
Cindric: International drivers should try NASCAR oval racing
F1 tech review: Charting Alfa Romeo’s slide down the order
Bottas “in denial for five years” versus Hamilton at Mercedes F1
How a lawyer-turned-journalist became a crucial player in Alfa's F1 revival
Porsche lodges appeal over da Costa's Misano Formula E disqualification
Ricky Taylor looking for redemption at Long Beach
How Senna’s early Pacific GP exit raised his Benetton suspicions
What could have been: When Villeneuve’s shock return thwarted an F1 rookie
What's been going wrong for Leclerc in F1's tiny margins qualifying game
What the Chinese GP's highlights reveal about its first F1 race for five years
The secrets of F1 turbocharging explained
Why Alpine’s rigorous training camp yields telling insights into its juniors
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments