Raikkonen Should Have Retired, Brundle Says Amid Surprise Over Finn's Sauber Move

The unpredictable Formula 1 driver market threw up yet another surprise Tuesday when Kimi Raikkonen announced he will be joining Sauber on a two-year deal after it was confirmed Ferrari will not hand him a new deal.

Charles Leclerc will be Sebastian Vettel’s teammate at Ferrari in 2019, and it was not a major surprise as it was the natural course for the team to follow as they look to build for the future. The Monegasque driver has proven in his ongoing debut season with Sauber he has the skills to compete with the best.

Leclerc has been part of the Ferrari young driver program for almost five years and was the first to graduate to the works team. He won titles in the junior Formula categories before making the step up to F1 and has proven he has the potential to challenge for wins and championships, given the right machinery and he is certain to put a little more pressure on Vettel.

But Raikkonen’s move to Sauber came as surprise albeit an emotional one as the Finn returns to the team where he started his F1 career in 2001. But it was unfathomable that he would take a step back to a team that is at best a midfield runner, after fighting at the sharp end of the grid for during the most part of his 16-year F1 career.

The 2007 F1 world champion was keen to remain in the sport for at least one more season, but it was expected he will call time on his career if he was not offered a drive with Ferrari. But it was Raikkonen who announced his move to Sauber and seemed upbeat to return to the team where it all started.

However, everyone is not in agreement with his move to the Swiss-owned team, with former F1 driver and current TV broadcaster Martin Brundle suggesting Raikkonen should have retired and given another young driver a chance in the sport.

The Finn will be 41, when he drives in the second of his two-year deal with Sauber, and Brundle believes a younger driver could have benefited from the opportunity. However, the Finn has proven he has not lost any of his speed from a decade ago and the Swiss team are delighted to have the experience of Raikkonen, who can help them develop the car faster and move up the grid.

“There is a bit of a changing of the guard going on in Formula 1,” Brundle told Sky Sports News. “The [Leclerc] move makes sense. It energizes Vettel, energizes the team. Leclerc is 20 years old and they [Ferrari] can prepare him for the future which is what they need.”

“Raikkonen is a great and popular driver, but in a way I wish he would have moved aside now because there is a lot of great young guys without seats next year at the moment,” he added. “Esteban Ocon would be a good example of that. There is also Stoffel Vandoorne, George Russell coming through leading the F2 World Championship.”

“So there is clearly an end game for Raikkonen now, moving to Sauber which will take him to a 41st year and it is a bit surprising [to see him move],” Brundle explained. “But I do admire that he wants to carry on racing. I just hope this is not a step too far for him.”

While there is certainly more than what meets the eye with Raikkonen’s deal with Sauber, renowned F1 journalist Peter Windsor believes even Ferrari were surprised with the Finn’s move to the Swiss team — after they had informed him at least a month back that his deal will not be renewed.