Ferrari 'needs' Raikkonen for 2015 - boss
Marco Mattiacci has hit back at suggestions Ferrari could or should plan its revival for the 2015 season without Kimi Raikkonen.
Lamenting the Maranello team's slip behind Williams for third in the constructors' chase, Fernando Alonso said at Hockenheim that Ferrari has "only been able to count on one car again and we have to improve on that".
It might be concluded that Spaniard Alonso wants a more competitive teammate for 2015, but new Ferrari boss Mattiacci has moved swiftly to end those sorts of rumours.
When told by the Spanish sports daily Marca that the mid-season scorecard between Alonso and Raikkonen reads "10:0", Mattiacci insisted: "This is not football.
"In F1 we don't speak in those terms.
"Yes, I want better results, but Kimi is the driver that Ferrari needs for next year."
And La Gazzetta dello Sport also quotes the Italian as saying: "We believe in him, he is a world champion, he is part of our present and our future."
But that doesn't mean Ferrari is not planning big changes for 2015, including significant improvements to the turbo V6 and the first car designed fully under the technical directorship of James Allison.
"He (Allison) is working very hard on the car for next year," a team source told the Spanish sports daily AS.
"It will be his first car for us and we have very high hopes."
Share Or Save This Story
The season is still very long - Rosberg
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
On this day: Michael Schumacher wins… and stuns tifosi with F1 retirement
Red Bull signs Kimi Raikkonen’s son as junior driver
Who belongs on F1's Mount Rushmore? Pick your four greatest drivers
Anthony Davidson warns young drivers not to follow Lewis Hamilton's Madrid FP3 example
Lewis Hamilton under fire after ignoring Ferrari calls to stop damaged car in Madrid FP3
Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur recall GP2 title and 'most impressive race ever', 20 years on
LIVE: F1 Spanish Grand Prix updates - Follow qualifying in Madrid with live timing
Kimi Antonelli "should be in a Ferrari" after Monza win, says Guenther Steiner
Anthony Davidson warns young drivers not to follow Lewis Hamilton's Madrid FP3 example
F1 Spanish GP: Kimi Antonelli tops red-flagged FP3 following Lewis Hamilton, Oliver Bearman crashes
Audi’s long road back to the top of grand prix racing
What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 F1 Spanish GP
What F1's risky Madrid bet needs to get right in order to pay off
The deeper meaning of Vettel’s emotional Schumacher demo run at Monza
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