Alonso says Ferrari could miss Massa as Raikkonen comes on board

There’s a reason why they call Kimi Raikkonen “The Iceman,” as he is often a man of few words. And that may have his new Ferrari teammate, Fernando Alonso, worried about what’s to come in 2014.

In an interview with Brazilian publication Totalrace, the two-time World Champion noted Raikkonen’s frosty demeanor and that in the end, Ferrari could miss the input from Williams-bound Felipe Massa.

“Definitely Felipe was a hard worker,” Alonso said. “He works day and night for the team to improve the car’s performance…I don’t know Kimi, but the rumors say that he speaks very little and is a bit more isolated. So I think that Ferrari could miss [Massa].”

Raikkonen was the last Ferrari driver to claim a World Championship in 2007, and how he’ll get along with the sometimes fiery Alonso will be a storyline to watch throughout the 2014 season.

But just as important is if the Scuderia can produce a car that enables both of them to have a chance at knocking off Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull. A six-year championship drought is getting annoying for F1’s all-time winningest franchise, with president Luca di Montezemolo recently saying that he was “definitely sick of coming second.”

So while Alonso may be preparing to have some difficulties along the way with Raikkonen, he’s also fully aware that a strong car can overcome them.

“If it’s good, like the Red Bull, it doesn’t matter if there’s ‘Multi-21’, ‘Multi-35′ or anything like that,” Alonso said while referencing the drama that Sebastian Vettel and now-WEC driver Mark Webber had in their final year together. “Because the atmosphere in the team will be great.”

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