Kimi Raikkonen says he doubts his friend Sebastian Vettel’s relationship with Ferrari is so broken that the German cannot complete the season at Maranello.
Former Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine said this week that the team should have "just paid" Vettel to leave, as the "really screwed-up dynamic" is "destructive".
But another former Ferrari driver - and one who knows the quadruple world champion well - disagrees.
"I don’t know much and what happens there doesn’t really concern me," Raikkonen, who was Vettel’s former Ferrari teammate, is quoted by Sport1.
"But I doubt they have such a bad relationship, as many people are claiming," said the 40-year-old Finn.
However, Ferrari and Vettel have already had two very bad race weekends in 2020, but Raikkonen insists: "I don’t want to overestimate how difficult it is for him now.
"It wasn’t the easiest start for us either," the Alfa Romeo driver added. "I’m sure there’s more to come from Ferrari."
And so Raikkonen does not believe Ferrari will deliberately make life difficult for Vettel this season.
"It’s in their interest to get the best possible result with both cars," he said. "So I see no reason why they would do that."