Ferrari CEO Jean Todt is confident that driver Kimi Raikkonen is happy in his role at Ferrari and is not planning to quit the sport at any time in the near future.
At the end of last season Raikkonen fuelled speculation when he commented that he could not see himself growing old in the sport however Todt has moved to quell these rumours by saying the Finn is happy at Ferrari.
“He loves driving,†Todt explained. “We know that he does not like certain things, and that is why we don’t request those of him. Racing drivers are only employees, but they are the workers with the most pressure. If they do not function right, then that has far larger consequence for the company that if the receptionist does not do a good job. Therefore I try to arrange the life of the drivers to be as pleasant as possible. Up to now I can say that always, if we asked gently Kimi to do something, he did it.”
Todt also said that he couldn t understand the Finn s detractors who compare Raikkonen with Alonso and were unhappy with Kimi s start to the 2007 season. “Kimi has ranked for five or six years as one of the best drivers,†Todt continued. “Therefore, I never understood the people who were disappointed by his achievements in the first half of the season.
“Is Kimi better or worse than Alonso? I cannot answer that. For me, both are excellent race drivers. It is the car that makes the difference. I selected Kimi, because he fits from his character better into our team.”
