The farewell to the Iceman causes fire in the driver business

Räikkönen's withdrawal on Thursday before the Dutch Grand Prix finally seemed to clear the way for the castling at industry leader Mercedes, which had been in the offing for some time.

Crown Prince George Russell will probably be promoted to the “Silver Arrow” by Williams, while Valtteri Bottas could succeed Räikkönen at Alfa Romeo. World champion Lewis Hamilton left little doubt on Thursday in Zandvoort that the die has already been cast. “I really think it would be good,” said the Brit when asked how his relationship with Russell would be. “I think George is an incredibly talented driver,” he added.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff recently admitted that the decision about Hamilton's teammate for 2022 has already been made. However, the series world champion is still hesitant to make an announcement because a number of parties are affected. “As long as the contracts are not signed, it makes no sense to announce it,” said the Austrian.

George Russell is a hot candidate for Valtteri Bottas' Mercedes position. © APA/afp / ANDREJ ISAKOVIC

Russel's podium in Spa as a fire promoter Top talent Russell (23) has long since collected enough arguments for replacing Bottas. His phenomenal drive to second place on the grid recently in the rain at Spa, which was rewarded with the first podium of his Formula 1 career in the aborted race the next day, was no longer needed as proof of his class and maturity. Bottas, however, was never able to break away from Hamilton's shadow in five years at Mercedes and ultimately wasn't even able to convince as a helper. “Maybe yes, maybe no” he knew what would happen next, said the 32-year-old in Zandvoort.

The vacant seat at Alfa Romeo could at least be a chance for the Finn to stay in Formula 1. Resigning was “not an easy decision,” assured Räikkönen when he made his decision public via Instagram on Wednesday evening. The 41-year-old revealed that he had already made up his mind in the winter, using an unusually large number of words. The farewell of a great one With the “Iceman”, the racing series loses a cult figure and the driver with the most race starts to date. The 350 champion will have competed in more than 2007 Grand Prix when he retires in December. Raikkonen is a “legend of our sport that numbers and statistics can hardly convey,” said team boss Frederic Vasseur.

It is quite possible that Alfa will also say goodbye to teammate Antonio Giovinazzi (27) in addition to Räikkönen. There are whispers in the paddock that the racing team wants to cut its ties to Ferrari soon and work more closely with Mercedes. The Scuderia-backed Giovinazzi could then be displaced by the Dutchman Nyck de Vries (26), who most recently drove for Mercedes in Formula E.

Like former Red Bull driver Alexander Albon (25), De Vries is also a candidate to succeed Russell at Williams. New Zealander Liam Lawson, who is currently racing in Formula 2 and the DTM, has an outside chance of getting a cockpit. The 19-year-old is part of the Red Bull Racing funding program.

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

The farewell to the Iceman causes fire in the driver business

Under the gray North Sea sky of Zandvoort, record driver Kimi Räikkönen caused a small Formula 1 storm. The farewell words of the former world champion, who wants to end his career after this season, act as an accelerator for the transfer business in the paddock between the dunes.

Suggestions

Comments (0)