‘Kimi must show he deserves a Ferrari seat’

Sergio Marchionne has told Kimi Raikkonen that he needs to prove he deserves a Ferrari race-seat by driving like the World Champion that he is.

Raikkonen’s Ferrari future is once again uncertain as the Finn’s contract expires at the end of this season.

Several drivers have been linked to Raikkonen’s race-seat, although it seems are keen to retain him.

But whether that happens is up to the 2007 World Champion.

“It depends on him,” Ferrari president Marchionne told Gazzetta dello Sport. “Kimi’s time with Ferrari will depend on his performance.

“He really needs to show he deserves a Ferrari, otherwise I would think that to leave is his choice.

“If we can’t give a positive contribution then it’s not worth staying, and Kimi knows that.

“So, either he races like the World Champion he is, ir..

“But I have confidence he will.”

The President also weighed in on Ferrari’s season, admitting they were struggling with a “difficult” car compared to Mercedes’.

“Their secret is the stability of the car,” he said.

“The Ferrari SF16-H is new compared to the 2015 edition. Although the design looked great, once it took to the track there were some results that didn’t match up to our expectations.

“We are trying to move past that in order to understand what is needed in order to improve our performance. It’s a difficult car.”