Revealed: How Raikkonen reacted to Ferrari axe

Maurizio Arrivabene has hailed Kimi Raikkonen's "professional" reaction to being told he would not race for Ferrari in 2019. The Finn was informed that he would be replaced by Charles Leclerc on the Thursday at Monza, going on to score a pole position and podium finish.

Sebastian Vettel's crash on the opening lap at Monza left Raikkonen exposed to Mercedes' strategy and denied him a first race win in over five years.

It would have served as a perfect riposte to being dropped by Ferrari, although the 2007 world champion will still be on the grid next year, having signed a deal with Sauber this week.

Asked how Raikkonen had reacted to the news, Arrivabene said: "Of course I took the decision but I have to say that the relationship with Kimi is so good that he understands.

"It's not only a question of telling him this is the decision. If you do my job properly, it's to take him through the process, and I took him through the process of the decision and he didn't even try to say 'yeah, I would like you to change your mind' or something. He's a professional driver.

"Then I heard many other things like 'ah, you know, telling him in Monza was the wrong time.'

"Think about if I had told him in Belgium and Sebastian was winning the race? Kimi was in the same position and then it was wrong to tell him in Belgium.

"So the right time is not written on the paper, but what is written on the paper is that when we sign contracts with a driver, we sign a contract with professional drivers.

"I always talk with my two drivers as professional drivers and I'm expecting from him the maximum of professional effort and to use all their professional skills and Kimi is one of them.

"Kimi was so nervous and so unhappy that I told him on Thursday, if I'm not wrong, in Monza but he was so unhappy that he made pole position on Saturday. We're talking with professional drivers."

Sauber boss Fred Vasseur, sat next to Arrivabene, joked he would have to upset Raikkonen every week in 2019, the Italian running with the gag.

"Yeah, in fact that's what I was thinking afterwards, because when I read some criticism and I said I accept the criticism, I was thinking OK, if it's like this, I'm going to make him unhappy every weekend so he's going to give us the pole position!

"Guys. We are talking about professional drivers not kids that they are driving at the luna park."