’Hobby’ driver Raikkonen fully motivated - boss

Frederic Vasseur has played down Kimi Raikkonen’s claim that F1 is now "a hobby" for him.

"It’s become more of a hobby for me lately than anything else and probably that’s why it’s more fun again," the Finnish driver said recently.

Set to turn 40 in October, Raikkonen is the most experienced driver on the grid. He moved from Ferrari to Alfa Romeo for the 2019 season.

"Kimi is like a gift for us," Vasseur, the Alfa boss, is quoted by Blick newspaper.

"He may talk about it being a hobby, but I have rarely experienced a driver with more motivation. His contributions help the engineers to develop the car," he added.