Vettel sad to see Raikkonen go
Kimi Raikkonen's Iceman demeanour was among the highlights of a press conference yesterday for Sunday's Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix.
Much of the attention this week has been on the Finn, after it was confirmed on Tuesday that he will be leaving Ferrari for Sauber next year.
Raikkonen, who turns 39 next month, will be swopping seats with Sauber's rising star Charles Leclerc, 20.
When asked why is he returning to Sauber, Raikkonen coolly shot back: "Why not?"
Later, clearly frustrated by questions on him rejoining the team that gave him his Formula One debut in 2001, Raikkonen turned cheeky.
When asked if he is still passionate about racing and if the fire is still there, his sarcastic reply was served with a smile.
"No, I'm not actually. I'm fired by pure head games for you guys. I happened to sign and I'm going to spend two years there, just not be happy, but yeah," he deadpanned as Lewis Hamilton, sitting next to him at the press conference, flashed a smile and some members of the media broke into laughter.
Raikkonen revealed that he started talks with Sauber only after the Italian Grand Prix earlier this month, when he learnt that he won't be staying at Ferrari.
"I knew, and obviously I know people there from the past and basically it started after (Italian GP)," he said. "I don't think it has always been there (the desire to return)."
His teammate Sebastian Vettel, meanwhile, said he is sad to see the Finn go.
"Kimi has been my best teammate," said Vettel, whose ex- teammates included Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull.
"For me, that is the respect you have for each other and the degree of bullshit going on between each other. With Kimi, it has been zero from the start... It's a great chance for Charles, but it will be sad to see that Kimi is not there any more."
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