Vasseur: Raikkonen an important reference point for Sauber

A veteran of 292 Grand Prix starts, Raikkonen will be the de facto team leader and will be partnered by rookie Antonio Giovinazzi.

Team principal Frederic Vasseur intends to maximise Raikkonen's role for the benefit of the team, he told Motori Online, "Kimi will be an important point of reference for the team and will help the engineers to develop on the car."

"We are a young team and I believe that having such a leader will be very useful for the future."

Raikkonen is fresh from a five-year stint with Ferrari, the sport's biggest and most famous team, he now will ply his trade with the minnows that gave him his break almost two decades ago.

Vasseur realises the challenges that lie ahead for the 2007 F1 World Champion, “Kimi knows it will be difficult for us to better than P7 without an accident."

"The motivation can come from somewhere else. The fact we’re improving, we’re growing up, we’re building something – I think it’s a huge feeling for all the team members, including drivers.”

The 39-year-old, who has a two-year deal with the Hinwil based team, has experience driving for smaller outfits. He raced for cash-strapped Lotus when he made his comeback and took them to victory twice before he returned to Maranello.

Raikkonen is unlikely to add to his 21 Grand Prix victories with his new team, but perhaps the challenge of taking the team to the next level will be victory enough for the sport's most popular driver.