Vasseur not confirming Raikkonen contract rumours

Frederic Vasseur has declined to say whether Kimi Raikkonen has already signed a contract to remain at Alfa Romeo in 2021.

It is now increasingly expected that 40-year-old Raikkonen will stay at the Swiss team to be an experienced teammate for likely F1 debutant Mick Schumacher.

Rumours at Sochi indicated Raikkonen has even signed a deal.

"Have I read the rumours that Kimi has already signed? Sure!" Alfa Romeo boss Vasseur told Russia’s Championat.

"But two weeks ago they wrote about Hulkenberg, three weeks ago it was about Perez, last week it was about Vettel. Journalists can write whatever they want, but it will not affect my decision in any way," he added.

However, Vasseur also admitted that Ferrari will have a say in the identity of the occupant of the other Alfa Romeo seat for 2021.

"No deadlines," he said about the seat currently occupied by Raikkonen.

"We’ll be talking to Kimi over the next few weeks to see what might be the next step we take together.

"As for the second place, we will have discussions with Ferrari and make a decision in the next months. There are a lot of good drivers available, but first of all I have to discuss everything with the guys who are now in the team," added Vasseur.

"Despite the difficult first half of the season, they did their job well with teamwork, which is very important for me."