Kimi Räikkönen’s talk of retirement isn’t a wise move, according to fellow Finn Mika Häkkinen, who believes Ferrari will switch its focus to Fernando Alonso as a result.
Räikkönen recently said he would “probably stop” once his contract has expired. At present, that is due to happen next year, suggesting the struggling 2008 champion is on his way out.
Häkkinen reckons Ferrari will begin to shift its attention to Alonso because of the comments.
“I don’t think that it’s particularly smart of him,” Häkkinen wrote in his Hermes column.
“When the mechanics and all the other people in the team know that a driver has plans to retire in a year and a half, their focus will shift more towards the other driver, who in this case is Fernando Alonso.”
However Alonso’s future at Ferrari isn’t certain, with rumours he may be looking to move to McLaren for 2015, but the Spaniard hasn’t said anything publicly.
Meanwhile Häkkinen isn’t expecting much of an improvement from Räikkönen as the 34-year-old’s motivation will suffer as a result of his impending retirement.
“When someone thinks about stopping, it will have a negative effect on their motivation,” he added. “Then that person won’t be able to concentrate anymore on the many things you need to think about in Formula 1.”
