Alfa Romeo in Trouble as Kimi Raikkonen Doubtful for Belgian Grand Prix

In a spot of worrying news, it has transpired that Kimi Raikkonen may have potentially injured himself. So, the Alfa Romeo team have put Marcus Ericsson on standby, even flying him to Belgium in case of an emergency. The Swedish driver was expected to race in Portland, but will instead show up at Spa.

According to some sources, the veteran Finn is facing issues which could potentially prevent him from competing. As a result, Ericsson booked the next flight to Belgium on Thursday morning. However, Alfa Romeo are confident that the Finn will race, but Ericsson is simply needed as the reserve.

Ericsson was let go from Sauber at the conclusion of the 2018 season, and went to join IndyCar. Meanwhile, Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi took over to form a brand new line-up at Alfa Romeo. Though, it was worth noting that the Swede remained with the team to fulfil a reserve role.

Both Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi are present for the Belgian GP, while Ericsson was in Stockholm. In light of Ericsson’s recall, his team, SPM confirmed that Conor Daly would take over his duties at Portland.

Formula One’s rules state that teams have until Friday to decide the line-ups for practice. So, Alfa Romeo would have the luxury of more time if Kimi Raikkonen still wishes to take part. Some sources even mentioned that Raikkonen was suffering from stomach issues as well.

Should Ericsson replace Raikkonen in Friday practice, the 2007 world champion could return on Saturday. As for Ericsson, he has endured a difficult first season in IndyCar, in spite of a podium finish in Detroit, he is only 17th in the championship.

His future in the series was thrown in doubt following the announcement of his Schmidt Peterson team’s collaboration with McLaren for 2020.

Ericsson left F1 after his most competitive season to date, having scored points in six races, but also trailed rookie team-mate Charles Leclerc 39 points to nine in the final standings last year.

Should Ericsson return to F1 action he would have the opportunity to score points again immediately, as Alfa is one of the most competitive cars in the midfield.

He has already driven the car this year, in a Pirelli tyre test in Austria.

Alfa is locked in a fierce fight for fifth in the constructors’ championship but the points disparity between its two drivers means the team is only seventh, eight points behind Renault and 12 points behind Toro Rosso.