Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene has called for Kimi Raikkonen to “remain calm and do his job” amid speculation over his future, but former Ferrari sporting director Cesare Fiorio has called for the team to oust the Finn.
Fiorio oversaw some relatively successful partnerships at Ferrari with Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell missing out on the Constructors’ Championship by just 11 points to McLaren in 1990.
Of their current line-up, he believes it’s time to replace Raikkonen with another ‘star’ driver rather than a youngster, even if it ruffles Sebastian Vettel’s feathers.
“Two years ago I raised questions about his [Raikkonen’s] lifestyle and age,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “These doubts have been confirmed.”
Of the potential replacements, he doesn’t think favourite Valtteri Bottas is the right man for the job.
“He [Bottas] is the right age, but pretty inconsistent, and I think Felipe Massa really has the upper hand at Williams,” he added.
“I would like to see another top driver there, even if it causes problems with Vettel. Ferrari should try to get [Lewis] Hamilton, and if that fails, then [Nico] Rosberg.”