Formula 1 is on the verge of bidding adieu to the era of the 2000s, as Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo), one of the fewest remaining drivers from that generation, announced his retirement from the sport following the 2021 season.

Amidst such a heartbreaking moment, Formula 2 driver, Theo Pouchaire, made a very untimely post on Twitter, which led to the entire F1 fandom exploding.

The story behind the Pouchaire – Alfa Romeo controversy

Pouchaire is a Sauber junior driver, who has been quite active in simulator work with the F1 outfit, Alfa Romeo Racing. Consequently, ever since Raikkonen’s retirement rumor broke out, the Frenchman has been one of the drivers associated with the seat.

Hence, amid such links, Pouchaire tweeted an image of himself on the Sauber simulator. “Best way to be back from holidays: 500 days in 2 days in the F1 simulator,” he captioned.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with it. However, the timing perfectly coincided with Raikkonen’s retirement announcement.

And this left the fans fuming, as many reckoned it was disrespectful for the Ferrari world champion. But did Pouchaire deliberately post the image on Twitter?

Pouchaire reveals the truth

The French lad subsequently tweeted a message for the fans. He cleared the air around growing speculations and affirmed that it was nothing but a coincidence.

“Guys, I was in the simulator for two days and I just wanted to post something about that. Nothing to do with the recent news of Kimi leaving F1. Kimi will always be one of my favorite driver. One of the all time best,” Pouchaire wrote.

As of now, the only driver who is capable of replacing Raikkonen as the number 1 driver is Valtteri Bottas. Pouchaire, on the other hand, will be keeping an eye on developments surrounding Antonio Giovinazzi.

Alfa Romeo are looking to terminate their relationship with the Italian by the end of this season, and the outfit will be keen on replacing Giovinazzi with a driver from the junior program.

The second Alfa Romeo seat had Callum Ilott written all over it. However, with the Briton set to join the Indy series, Pouchaire could come up as Alfa Romeo’s highest priority.

Are we in for more twists and turns in the following weeks? Are more drivers likely to join the race for the vacant seat at Alfa Romeo?

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