Ferrari decision on Raikkonen expected soon

F1 Fanatic Round-up

Posted on

| Written by

In the round-up: Ferrari are expected to announce their 2014 driver line-up this week with speculation growing around a return to the team for Kimi Raikkonen.

Links

Your daily digest of F1 news, views, features and more.

Vettel’s fourth title is fast approaching (Reuters)

Luca di Montezemolo: “What happened in the past with Kimi? we won a world championship.”

Lotus chief still hopes Raikkonen will stay despite Finn flirting with Ferrari (Daily Mail)

Eric Boullier: “There is no queue. In the end if he wants to go to Ferrari he will go to Ferrari and that’s it.”

Raikkonen poised to make 2014 decision (Autosport)

“Kimi Raikkonen will decide his Formula 1 future in the next 48 hours amid growing speculation about a move to Ferrari.”

Tweet Tweet – here’s @alo_oficial! (Ferrari)

Fernando Alonso: “It’s not possible for me to talk of any name for next year because I have a lot of respect for Felipe [Massa] . We’ve been working very hard and close for four years to give Ferrari the maximum. Whatever decision the team will take will be good for me and we will keep working to give Ferrari the best results possible.”

Todt rubber stamps Pirelli deal (The Telegraph)

“Pirelli has agreed a new five-year deal to provide tyres to Formula One worth an estimated 50 million, which will carry it through until the end of the 2018 season.”

Mark Webber criticises jeering Ferrari fans (The Age)

“Sebastian won the race and the atmosphere was not completely correct. But, anyway, it’s their choice.”

Di Resta ‘gutted’ after Monza crash (BBC)

“I obviously didn’t mean to do it – I wasn’t trying to overtake anyone. It was just the concertina effect I was unaware of.”

Mercedes identifies Monza mistakes (ESPN)

Toto Wolff: “You can’t expect to be there all the time and we know where we went wrong over the last two weekends and it’s a matter of improving.”

Tweets

Comment of the day

@JackySteeg questions the wisdom of holding a night race in Bahrain:

I wouldn’t envy the mechanics leaving the circuit at midnight with protesters still on the street throwing Molotov cocktails about??

It also seems a bit counter-productive to F1???s “green” targets. Illuminating all those thousands of enormous lightbulbs for a weekend does seem a tremendous and unnecessary waste of energy.
@JackySteeg

From the forum

Happy birthday!

No F1 Fanatic birthdays today

If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.

On this day in F1

Mario Andretti clinched his first world championship 35 years ago today in dire circumstances. Team mate Ronnie Peterson, the only person who could beat him to the title, was injured in a start line crash. The following day Peterson succumbed to his injuries.

Niki Lauda led a Brabham one-two in the Italian Grand Prix. Carlos Reutemann gave Ferrari some cheer with third.

Here’s the second start of the race. Andretti and Gilles Villeneuve were judged to have jumped the start and given one-minute penalties. They finished first and second ‘on the road’ but were classified sixth and seventh respectively.

Image © Lotus/LAT

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

167 comments on “Ferrari decision on Raikkonen expected soon”

  1. Michael Brown (@)
    10th September 2013, 0:18

    I hope they don’t keep Massa for next year. He consistently underperforms until the end of the season and then he puts in some decent results which Di Montezemolo uses to justify Massa staying for another year.

    1. Did anyone notice how Alonso took picture of himself and the crowd from the podium at Italy? Has he done it every year? If it’s not something he does every year, I think it could be quite telling act…

      1. He did it last year (with a much larger camera).

      2. @lari Modern days. Call it “podium selfie”. Back in 1970’s James Hunt would smoke a cigarette while stading on the podium, but today drivers post selfies on social networks…

        1. That’s odd. Hunt made his debut in 1973 in F1. Maybe he was just chain smoking from 1970 until then waiting for a drive.

    2. Plot-twist: Alonso gets the boot for another Kimi/Massa team-up.

      1. +1 LOL that will be a Nice Twist…

        and Fernando will be back to Lotus – Renault his old team.

    3. That Luiz Razia tweet reminded me of the rain lights on Sebastians car blinking the whole race.. Is that really punishable??

    4. I feel kind of sorry for Massa – the accident was the turning point in his career – not that anyone would deserve it – but for me he was the guy who deserved it the least to receive such a blow.

      But there is also hope that RAI actually replaces ALO :)

  2. I hope Hulkenburg gets the seat over Raikkonen as I really want to see Hulkenburg in a top team, but that being said, I’d love to see Raikkonen in the car to see how he fairs against Alonso.
    It’s on one hand the young talent not-yet proven whilst on the other it’s the ageing talent that’s a proven champion and great driver. With times being harder for younger drivers and with Hulkenburg’s career being on the line possibly (which would be a ridiculous thing to happen), I want to see Hulkenburg there… Unless Lotus give him an opportunity should Raikkonen leave, then I’d still be happy.

    1. Man, I would love to see Hulk at either Ferrari or Lotus. I think that Lotus will try to get him in, as his salaries are probably far less than Kimi’s, and that would give Jules Bianchi a possible seat at Sauber. It’s about time to Lotus start considering a better driver than Grosjean, as he do seems to have some raw speed, but doesn’t deliver regularly.

    2. Somehow Nico has become second best to Kimi. If Lotus fail to keep him, they will get Nico and if Ferrrari doesn’t get Kimi they will go for Nico as well.

      I think Hulkenberg is in a good place now.

    3. We could have taken an experienced driver, somebody guaranteed to deliver to a relatively known level, or equally we could take on a much younger driver in the hope that they’ll develop to a very high level.

      That’s the sound of Christian Horner explaining why he overlooked Räikkönen in favour of Ricciardo. I have my doubts about that, but I think it does apply to Nico. He’s already shown his ability to run at the front, and worked occasional miracles with all three of his F1 cars so far, none of which have been anything special.

      He’d be a better long-term choice (Kimi is already wearing old man’s jeans and appearing in Wrangler ads!) but that’s maybe not a factor if you’re Ferrari.
      If he is off to Lotus, I hope it’s not another badly-timed move by Hülkenberg. Kimi would have a reason for leaving Lotus – possibly several million reasons – but I’m not completely convinced of them as a top team. Who’s their chief boffin now? Will they ever stop faffing around with long wheelbases and devices that don’t work?

      1. It was Adrian Newey.

      2. I think it came down to the development effort required for next year. VET and RIC will clock record hours in the simulator – while Kimi would probably not be interested in doing this.

    4. @philereid F1 needs to be seen to be rewarding talent shown in the junior categories. If we leave Robin Frijns at home, and leave Hulkenberg without a drive (which is possible because if he doesn’t get a seat at Ferrari or Lotus, I highly doubt Sauber would have the cash to keep him), then really what is the point of GP2, GP3, F3 and FR3.5? The 2014 F1 driver market should have a recurring theme, namely that of promoting young talent in the place of F1’s older drivers. Red Bull have already done so, now it’s Ferrari’s turn. I think now that there can be no doubt, especially after Massa’s outright defiance in qualifying at the weekend (i.e. not letting Fernando close enough in order to get the tow), that he is not driving a Ferrari next year. The word of paddock is that Ferrari have finally decided that status quo is not worth sacrificing points for, and frankly it’s nice that they’ve seen sense and are doing what most teams would’ve done months ago. So it is Raikkonen vs Hulkenberg for Ferrari’s second seat. I am adamant that that seat should be Hulkenberg’s, and I think, for a number of reasons, that it would be better for Ferrari too if they signed Nico…

      1. He’s more likely to play #2 – You may hate the idea of a #1 and a #2 in a team, but it has proved useful in the past for many teams. In fact it is in many ways, the “ideal” dynamic, in a team if a #1 and a #2 is made out through natural ability, as it is in Mercedes, rather that status. An Alonso-Hulkenberg line-up will also have that dynamic.

      2. He’s cheaper than Kimi – OK, Ferrari aren’t short of a few quid, but what is the point of spending double what the could on Hulkenberg just to get Raikkonen when that money would be better spent on the car. And Hulkenberg brings Dekra sponsorship.

      3. He may actually not be slower than Kimi – Hulkenberg was on pole position in a Williams, led the Brazilian GP in a Force India, put the C32 on the second row of the grid and has one of the finest junior careers ever behind him; the kid is a megastar. I’m going to say this, presuming Hulkenberg doesn’t end up out of F1 at the end of this season, I would eat my own hair if he isn’t a champion by 2022. As Brundle says, “Get the kid in a front running car now…

      …oh, hell’s bloody bells. I’ve written all that and now I’ve just seen the news that Raikkonen’s signed for Ferrari. Blast.

    5. @philereid His name’s HüllkenbErg ;)

      1. Ouch, it’s Hülkenberg with one l, obviously. My mistake this time :(

        1. howabout The Hulk?

    6. I agree. But I feel its only a matter of time before Hulkenburg gets a top seat. Maybe its better he stays away from Ferrari for now. You need to be tough and street smart to excel there.

    7. yep. my fingers are crossed for Hulk to get the seat.

  3. i hope Massa stays at Ferrari.
    Lotus stays with kimi and grosjean
    and good luck hulk.

    1. Really ?

      you want Massa at ferrari ? why not someone better to lift the team up the standings ?

    2. Massa’s been pathetically underperforming though. It’s costing Ferrari a lot of points.

    3. petebaldwin (@)
      10th September 2013, 9:39

      @ausuma – How could you prefer seeing Massa crawl around and dive out of the way of Alonso at any given oppertunity than a Kimi Alonso showdown to see who is the best. 2 of the best drivers in F1 in the same car…

      I’ll gain so much respect for Ferrari if they go with Alonso and Kimi.

      1. @petebaldwin this is what we need!
        then Hamilton with Vettel in a Red Bull (or Vettel in a Merc) and we’d be on for some true realisation of who is the best driver

        1. So, how about Alonso and Raikkonen in Ferrari to see which “relic” is the best, and Hamilton and Vettel in RBR/Mercedes to see whose this era will be (unless a “new” vettel comes along, of course)

  4. The finnish media asked Mika Salo at the Belgian GP where he thought Kimi would drive next year.. he said he couldn’t answer because he already knew, and he thought it was frustrating that the big bosses already knows what will happen but they wouldn’t announce it just to keep peoples(drivers, mechanics etc) motivation up. And considering his connections with Ferrari, I think that will be Kimis destination.

    1. So, translation:
      Kimi is leaving Lotus, but since he still can fight for WDC and Lotus needs to get more points to improve their WCC place, they are no saying.

      I kind of really want Kimi in Ferrari, because the same reason I wanted Kimi at Red Bull, purely entertainment value

      1. That would be fun but I’d put my money on Nando to win this one.

    2. I actually remember Salo saying that THEY (Kimi, his agent, etc.) already know. But I could be wrong.

      1. That’s what I thought, too.

    3. The obvious question here is, where does Massa go?
      None of the top (5) teams want him, then there’s Sauber/Williams with money problems and Force India with Calado lined up.

      I would feel bad for him but is the same situation as with Webber, they’re just not good enough to be against such strong teammates anymore and because of their age I don’t expect them to improve the way a Ricciardo probably will.

      1. Massa said that he only wanted a top drive. Sadly I think his image as a top driver has taken a hit. Don´t think it will be that easy for him to find a drive.

      2. OmarR-Pepper (@)
        10th September 2013, 2:47

        What if Lotus gives him a shot? No team orders, just go for it. They could even take Hulkenberg and drop Grosjean. It’s quite an illusion, but who knows. Massa could bring some sponsors to the team, am I right? Even, if no sponsors, he has the right amount of money to pay for his seat if he wants it so bad.

        1. @omarr-pepper That sounds fine to me as long as Hulkenberg is there . But I think they will not drop Grosjean . I just don’t know why . Is it the ‘total’ thing or is it that they have some great faith . This season he has been improving a lot though , it has to be said.

          If I were Lotus , I would pounce at Hulkenberg once the ferrari deal is done with kimi ( If it is done ).

          1. @hamilfan @omarr-pepper
            Grosjean is managed by Boullier so I would imagine it would be hard to fire his (teams) driver when he’s also his (management companies) driver

            Conflict of interests it is, but I think Grosjean has had enough time to prove he isn’t consistent enough to stay with a front running team, the question is – can Boullier see that?

        2. @omarr-pepper it could work, at least he could bring some Brazilian sponsors. I’ve heard his wife has lots of money for her families beverages empire.

        3. Why would they take Massa and drop Grosjean? Sure, Grosjean had more mistakes so far. But I would say he has a lot more to come than Massa still has in him. I think a Hulk-Grosjean line-up could bring a nice chemistry too.

        4. I was wondering the other day if Massa should try to get Petrobras sponsorship if he is dropped from Ferrari and maybe try to move in to Sauber again…
          Conversely, maybe Nasr has Petrobras sponsorship too? IDK, but hopefully that could be a driving factor for him moving into F1 at some point as well.

  5. Kimi is on the verge. best action all season. It’s going to be interesting.Kimi and Fernando, mamma mia..get the popcorn.

  6. Looks like Hulkenberg and Kimi in 2015 when Alonso’s relationship with Ferrari implodes!

    1. ALonso may be furstrated, but he is not stupid to leave ferrari.

  7. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    10th September 2013, 1:15

    “What happened in the past with Kimi? we won a world championship.”

    (What happens in the present with Fernando? They haven’t been able to win a single championship)

    1. Oh you are evil ;)

    2. look who’s booing now ;)

    3. Still the closest thing Vettel has had as competition. And let’s casually forget all Raikkonen had to go up against (and barely come up on top) was McLaren, Alonso has to deal with Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren and Lotus.

      1. Yeah, poor old Alonso. He has to put up with a teammate that will literally do anything apart from (publicly) kiss his behind, and a team that lets him get away with immensely disrespectful behaviour without punishment. I feel so sorry for him, I really do :'(

        1. cos massa didnt help kimi to win his only world title????. Without massa help at final race he would not be world champion.

          JPM didnt give kimi wins at mclaren either i suppose in 05? oh yes wait a moment yes he did, despite it being against the rules at the time as well. oh how memories fade….

          Massa returned from his accident fast. Qualified 2nd. But Alonso overall has just been better.

          1. JPM didnt give kimi wins at mclaren either i suppose in 05? oh yes wait a moment yes he did, despite it being against the rules at the time as well. oh how memories fade….

            Can you give any instances?

      2. Still the closest thing Vettel has had as competition.

        Hamilton has been Vettel’s main competition since 2010. It’s just that Hamilton’s suffered a lot of bad luck with car reliability, pit errors, things outside his control basically.

        I think Alonso’s had one mechanical retirement in nearly four seasons at Ferrari.

        1. It’s just that Hamilton’s suffered a lot of bad luck with car reliability, pit errors, things outside his control basically.

          Which is exactly why he hasn’t been the main competition.

          The things you mentioned aren’t down to bad luck, they’re down to McLaren doing a worse job than its rivals. Reliability and pit stops aren’t out of their control, out of Hamilton’s control maybe but even drivers can push their teams to better results. There’s no excuse.

          1. @tmekt – he said out of his control, not out of McLaren’s control.

            If McLaren make poor decisions, make mistakes and bodge vital pit stops, that is out of Hamilton’s control. The only thing he could do about it is to leave McLaren and that’s what he’s done.

          2. @petebaldwin

            Sorry, accidentally hit the send button way too soon.

            Anyway, yeah I know what he said, my point was that Hamilton isn’t unlucky, his team just wasn’t able to do their job properly and Hamilton was part of that team. I’m sure he had some power in the team so it’s not exactly unthinkable that he could’ve influenced the decision-making in some way.

            But that’s just useless speculation by my side and beside the original point I was trying to make. Driver is a essential part of a team and they win and lose together. I don’t think it’s fair that if the combination doesn’t succeed – regardless of who was to blame – the team is the only one getting the blame.

        2. 2011 — Lewis was AWOL. Who finished 2nd to Vet? Button.

          1. I agree Hamilton struggled coming to terms with the new tyres in 2011, but he still won 3 races to Fred’s 1. Won the same number of races as Button.

            This is why I give a slight edge to Vettel when we talk about whether Vettel or Hamilton is better.

    4. I immediately thought that but was far too sensible to say anything. ;)

    5. @omarr-pepper

      How many title has Raikkonen won with Renault ?
      May i ask Boullier about that sir ?

      P.s sometimes i ask myself if people really realize how important the car is in F1…

    6. @omarr-pepper
      I don’t remember Alonso getting beaten by Massa either, unlike Raikkonen.

      1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
        10th September 2013, 17:43

        @kingshark and I don’t remember Massa being almost killed during Kimi’s times either. Something definitely changed on him, and it’s not Massa’s fault, it’s Ferrari’s, who should have seen that after a couple of years since the accident, the results were as if produced by an “unknown twin brother Massa didn’t mention” (I’m just using the words Luca said about Michael Schumacher’s performance during his Mercedes seasons).
        @nomore Raikkonen has 2 victories with “bad Enstone” team, and when Alonso was in “bad Enstone team” in 2008 and 2009, he had just one (unless you want to consider Singapore as a true victory). What were you saying about Boulier?

        1. @omarR-pepper
          Last time I checked, Alonso has 2 world titles with the “bad” Enstone team.

          1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
            10th September 2013, 18:36

            @kingshark, nope, that was the “GOOD” Enstone team. If I told you “so bad Alonso couldn’t get championships in Renault in 2008 and 09” you could call me crazy fair and square (and I wouldn’t complaint). That’s why I compare the 2 periods when “Enstone team” was just a just-above-the-midfield team.

        2. This is an exageration !
          2008-2009 Renault was somehow further behind than top teams compared to Lotus today. Then, tyres weren’t such a big “issue” back then. 2008-2009 Renault can be compared mostly with McLaren of today.

      2. lol i smell a massa

    7. KImi had the fastest car for atleast half of the season. Where as alonso had to fight Mclaren and RedBull who were breaking all the qualifying records

  8. A rookie mistake by Di Resta on the first lap, but at least we got our first crash captured with a thermal camera :o
    But still no onboard in HD…

    1. I’m still wondering who’s fault it was. Did he actually take credit for that mistake? I think he said something like there was a lot of traffic and he didn’t see his braking point… so it sounds like he was blaming the traffic on “his” rookie mistake.

  9. Webber says crowd booing Vettel “not completely correct… but a little bit correct” ;)

    Jokes aside, we know its caused by the fans who are there for more of the “entertainment value” rather than the value of true racing.
    Although in Monza, Vettel beat a Ferrari so one could assume there would be some booing.

    On Massa though, surely he needs to hang up the boots and not end up like Barrichello.

    1. Maybe he could go to Formula E?

      1. I keep forgetting about FE… Could be a good option for a team to get some experienced guys in there to mix up with some rookies. A MAS, KOV, PET might be good.

    2. I remember the Tifosi cheering Vettel when he trounced everyone in a Torro Rosso/Minardi in the wet.
      Going to be funny watching them switch sides once Kimi starts beating Fred regularly.

      1. Going to be funny watching them switch sides once Kimi starts beating Fred regularly.

        Not as funny as your silence when it doesn’t happen

        1. It all depends on how Kimi is treated. He will not be carrying any jockstraps like Massa has been doing, nor will he play the “PR” game.

          1. Still no guarantee that he would beat Alonso. If Ferrari were to take Raikkonen, they would know what they were getting themselves into.

        2. @sebsfinger

          Going to be funny watching them switch sides once Kimi starts beating Fred regularly.

          Kimi might need to learn how to beat Massa before he can dream about beating Alonso.
          @abbinator

          It all depends on how Kimi is treated. He will not be carrying any jockstraps like Massa has been doing, nor will he play the “PR” game.

          Massa and Alonso were treated very equally at the start of 2010. Ferrari began to shift to Fernando’s side when they realized that he was a much better driver than Felipe.

      2. Will be even funnier to watch when Vettel decides to drive for Ferrari. Alonso wasn’t very popular in Italy before 2010 either.

    3. Lately we are reading a lot of nonsense about booing. OK, it may be childish or foolish or whatever, but people have a right to be childish and foolish and certainly they have a right to boo to their heart’s content. For a sportsman, getting booed in rival territory is part of the job description, it goes with the salary, and most of them are proud to get booed when they win at the rival’s home turf. Just like Sebastian Vettel said: “The more booing we get, the better we’ve done today”.
      So get over it. Booing is perfectly legal, and it’s harmless, even if you don’t like it. I cannot imagine a F1 driver immature enough to get hurt from booing.
      Yes, it’s very gentlemanly and heartwarming to see a crowd cheering their rival after a hard-fought victory, but this is not a perfect world and it rarely happens. As Mark Webber said, “It’s their choice”.

    4. I’d see Lotus making a bid for Massa and Hulk if Kimi leaves. if Hulk goes to Lotus then I don’t see where Massa could drive – seems more like he’d need to take a sabbatical. Which would be quite a loss for F1 – to see 2 good drivers leave in the same year.

  10. Now I have to look what concertina effect is.

    1. AKA accordion. Except concertina has very very sharp corners.

      1. and crashes.

  11. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    10th September 2013, 2:42

    @nackavich you said some, but I’m just wondering, if Vettel (almost sure) secures the championship before Brazil, will Ferrari put all that they can to make an outstanding car for the last race and let Massa go for the win (even if it’s necessary to make Alonso let him pass? I can’t imagine a better farewell for a man who so many times have taken the hit on the face (and literally in Hungary) for the team.
    And at the same time, if Vettel secures the WDC before Brazil, I think Red Bull (and Vettel) should make all that’s possible to make Webber win. A fierce battle between Webber and Massa would be an epic finale for a “boring” season.

    1. @omarr-pepper That’s true, I would really love to see him go out with a bang, since he used to be a very exciting driver. I feel sorry for him in a way, but I honestly don’t think we’ll ever see the likes of Vettel or Alonso just let their teammates by to get a win, nor do I think Massa or Webber would want to win that way.
      It would have to be a battle for the lead on their own merits, otherwise it wouldn’t be as satisfying.
      That’s if Vettel wraps the title up by then. Who knows, he may do a Schumacher a la ’99 Silverstone..

    2. Well Vettel and RBR already did something like that. Remember Brazil 2011?

    3. @omarr-pepper

      I think if Ferrari were capable of building a car that can win races, they’d have done it by now. Frankly, Ferrari may as well keep Massa and instead let Raikkonen find a spot in a team where he’s got a chance of wining a championship. For too long Ferrari has relied purely on the talents of the drivers to make up for what is a fundamentally poor car. Alonso has done a great job of that, but is clearly now becoming frustrated at having to spend the best years of his career fighting over the scraps left behind by Red Bull. I’m sure Raikkonen will do a great job of it too, but what’s the point in hiring world champions when you’re incapable of giving them a car with which they can challenge for a championship?

      Ferrari’s problem is that their arrogant self belief prevents them from conducting the kind of frank self-analysis required in order to understand where the team is failing. The ‘don’t criticise the team’ mentality has, built into it, a basic misconception that the team itself can never be doing anything less than a brilliant job. Alonso is right to criticise Ferrari. He’s been carrying an underperforming team ever since he joined them, and it’s their own arrogance which prevents them from being able to accept that.

      1. I would lilke nothing more than to see Ferrari get away from the 1 rooster concept, since it obviously isn’t a guarantee of success and in fact in my eyes robs the viewing audience of competition between two drivers in the same car. I would like to think that as a top team, the viewing audience deserves to see top drivers pushing each other on and off the track, raising the team and the car to the top that way, rather than putting all their eggs in the basket of the 1 rooster while trying to figure out how to have a designated second driver that is good enough to help in the Constructors but not good enough or eager enough (read compliant) to take on the number 1.

        So regarding the possibility of KR going to Ferrari I’ll have to see it to believe it but if it happens I think it will be a very exciting and welcome change at Ferrari, and perhaps a change that cannot hurt given how it is going for them with their current regime. So rather than a rooster waiting around for Ferrari to build them a car I think they might as well try having 2 roosters working toward that end while pushing the team and themselves…two heads are better than one, and as I say, we the viewing audience are the very reason racing exists so we deserve to see better from the top teams. I’d sooner Formula One go to one-car teams and every man for himself than to see teams have a secondary driver that have to tiptoe around the rooster and underperform in the pinnacle of racing in a car and on a team that should see them both fighting for the podia.

        1. I’d rather see just one of them in a decent car, than see Ferrari put both of them in a mediocre car.

          1. Ya fair enough and all I’m suggesting is that for the sake of the team and of we the viewing audience perhaps the better formula to achieve a decent car, while satisfying the mantra of ‘pinnacle of racing,’ is to have 2 roosters pushing each other toward that end. 1 rooster and a boot licker is no guarantee while at the same time robbing us of racing, so we might as well see some racing and 2 heads working toward the top than non-racing and 1 head wallowing. I’d rather see a competition amongst drivers in the pinnacle of racing, than seeing 1 rooster waiting around for the team to build him a car so that he can not be challenged in it by his designated bootlicker.

    4. I certainly hope Alonso pulls a Schumi and lets MAS by (I think Schumi let Reubens by though) near the end to win if they’re in that position.

  12. Alonso-Raikkonen pairing at Ferrari…2 solid drivers in a semi-solid team…I just can’t see this working..

    1. Neither. I think it’s asking for trouble.

    2. Kimi has to put the graft in. Which he didnt do before and doesnt do at lotus now.

      Alonso does at ferrari and did at renault. Alonso has every right to be annoyed if he sees kimi putting in little effort but doing very well with the car that has alot of alonso hard work in.

      If ferrari offer him the contract he has at lotus of no PR etc they are mad

    3. If 2007 is any indication, Teflonso cannot handle anything like parity with another driver. Having said that, he is the golden boy at Ferrari, despite his dummy-spitting. It would be interesting, but I think if Kimi gets too many “Fernando is faster than you, please acknowledge” messages he might lose interest, collect the checks and have some ice cream.

      1. If 2007 was any indication, Alonso was a naive and spoiled child. It’s been six years. To suggest that Alonso is the same driver is the same as suggesting that Raikkonen is considering moving to Ferrari on the basis of they car they made in 2007.

      2. I do not think we should take 2007 as a basis for that @abbinator, because it was a wholly different situation.

        Sure, core was Alonso not wanting to except that Hamilton was taken as his equal. But part of that was also him still finding his feet in the team, and seeing how Lewis knew everyone. It made him think they were actually hiding things from him, not playing openly etc. because of the long time relationship with Hamilton.

        With Kimi its completely different. First of all, Alonso knows the team and is still its core member. And Kimi is not one to play the team politics thing, he “just” gets in the car drives, gives his feedback, improves and then races. So then Alonso knows he will be at least at level playing field. And I think he will be beating Kimi, and I am sure Alonso will be convinced that he will be doing so.

      3. Another big factor, it’s going to be such a fresh breath of air for all the crew at the garage to have Kimi there. As mentioned before everyone but Alonso will benefit from this, but then again, Alonso is an experienced driver I’m sure he can cope and make best out of the situation.

      4. @abbinator

        Teflonso cannot handle anything like parity with another driver

        The word “parity” has another meaning when it comes to a British driver in a British team
        Remember Ron Dennis saying “We were not racing Kimi we were basically racing Fernando”
        That’s parity !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    4. Alonso-Raikkonen pairing at Ferrari…2 solid drivers in a semi-solid team…I just can’t see this working..

      Exactly what I thought, but not necessarily because of the car, as the 2014 season will be a different story (it seems…), but because of their personalities and their history inside the team. I just don’t see this happening. Alonso’s tweet sounds like he is convinced he will stay and Massa will go, but I wouldn’t erase the possibility of BOTH moving. A duo of Alonso and Kimi? In terms of risk, is a time-bomb. In that scenario I would keep today’s combo. Let’s see what happens…

      1. Personally I think it is an awful thing if F1 has come to the point in the audiences eyes where having 2 roosters on the team is risking a time bomb.

        Am I that old that gone is the concept of having 2 roosters on the top teams pushing each other and advancing the car that way?

        Darn it…we’re the paying viewing audience…to heck with the ‘headaches’ that the team has to go through dealing with 2 prima donnas…there’s a bigger picture here and it’s about the spirit of racing and the pinnacle of racing. As I just said on another comment, I’d rather Formula One go to single car teams if the only other alternative is that teams can’t be bothered to take on 2 roosters because that is ‘cumbersome’ or ‘awkward’ politically. How about removing the politics and just going racing and pushing each other on and off the track, physically and psychologically, and thrilling the audience with a genuine show, rather than dancing around team orders that sometimes get ignored anyway.

        Just as I don’t see how the gadgets of degrady tires and DRS has done anything to improve the show and rather has taken away from it, I think the same of the 1 rooster concept…what has that guaranteed anyone other than that the viewing audience is not getting full bang for the buck?

    5. A semi solid team good enough to finish 2nd or 3rd in the championship with only Alonso. With Both Kimi and Alonso , Ferrai’s wcc chances are very good as the departure of webber will surely cost RBR in the constructor. But KImi and ALonso in the same team could make wdc title fight difficult for the 2 drivers

      1. @kimialonso Well, Ferrari have to make a car that can consistently be at worst 0.2-0.3 off the Bulls..otherwise, there’s not much use saying anything.
        Admittedly though, rules ARE changing next year, and just having the fastest car may not be enough.

  13. It’s crunch time for the silly season !! Can’t wait .

  14. Montezemolo did not rule out Raikkonen, who left Ferrari in 2009 after being paid off to make way for Alonso, when asked whether he would have him back.

    “What happened in the past with Kimi? we won a world championship,” he replied.

    “First of all, Kimi is a good driver. For us it was a big satisfaction to win with him the first championship with the new team without (seven times champion) Michael (Schumacher), without Ross (Brawn)”.

    This sounds like a man about to announce the return of Kimi Raikkonen to Ferrari.

    I wish Felipe Massa the best no matter where he is for next season. There are a lot of derogatory comments about him, but he is still a better driver than many others in F1 now. He came closer to winning the WDC than any driver can without winning the title.

    If, Kimi is with Ferrari, maybe Hulkenberg will get the Lotus seat. Sure hope so.

    I obviously didn’t mean to do it – I wasn’t trying to overtake anyone. It was just the concertina effect I was unaware of.

    That is a rather strange statement that could be taken two ways. He was not aware there could be a concertina effect at that point on the track, or he was not aware of the concertina effect that was taking place in front of him at the start of the Grand Prix at Monza leading into one of the tightest first corners in F1.

  15. “Toto Wolff: “You can’t expect to be there all the time and we know where we went wrong over the last two weekends and it’s a matter of improving.””

    Tell that to Red Bull…or Ferrari in the early 2000’s….or Williams in the 90’s….or McLaren in the 80’s! Teams that dominate the sport have historically been the ones who are best prepared and who are hungriest for success, you can see it in everything the teams do and have done. If you want to be at the front in this sport you have to want it more than everyone else and, despite all that is said, the people who behave like they to want to be champions most are Red Bull. That’s why they are the dominant force in the sport at the moment.

    1. Pretty much yeah @geemac.

      When you look at Dominicaly, or Withmarsh, or Boullier. They all seem capable, they make reasonable desicions etc. But its hard to see in them that drive to win that Luca himself, Ron Dennis or a Frank Williams/Head have/had. And it shows in the teams.
      Maybe we can see something like that getting on at Mercedes with Lauda and Brawn. But Toto does not seem to be the guy for that either.
      A combination of a self confident Vettel, a ruthless Marko, an constantly thinking about improvements guy like Newey and Horner who is good enough to keep all of those people working together in a team somehow and satisfy the ambitions of Mateschitz is not something any other team has right now.

  16. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
    10th September 2013, 6:57

    Who says Massa is going to be the one to get the boot? Or the only one at Ferrari to get the boot? LDM seems a bit weary of Alonso as of late.

    1. Shreyas Mohanty (@)
      10th September 2013, 7:10

      @braketurnaccelerate Well, common sense says so.

      1. This is Formula 1. What’s common sense go to do with anything?

    2. I was slowly starting to feel I might be the only one crazy enough to think it’s maybe Kimi/Massa next year. With Luca Di Montezemolo fed up with Alonso’s antics…
      Unrealistic, but stil… Massa’s performances were partly sub-par, but who knows how much of that is due to the car being entirely Alonso’s ride?

      1. The only way Alonso leaving Ferrari makes any sense is if he’s got something else lined up with another team. Which I sincerely doubt, since he would only be trading down. Unless he went back to McLaren, who are capable of winning, but haven’t managed to make good on it. But, like Raikkonen returning to Ferrari, I suspect there is too much bad blood between Alonso and McLaren to make it feasible.

    3. Massa has to go regardless of Alonso staying or going.

      1. Lotus next for Massa?

    4. U don’t have all horses in the stable, do u?

      1. Your elevator doesn’t go all the way up.

        The light is on but there’s nobody home.

        Firing Alonso? Funny, funny. His contract is worth more than Italy’s military budget.
        Ferrari management after a round of red wine: “Hey let’s keep that samba guy and fire that flamenco guy. I hate flaming flamenco”

  17. It truly is the silly season when they offer ignoramus Räikkönen a Ferrari seat. A jaded older driver with a career going nowhere.

    All this great young talent coming through the ranks. F1 is truly losing its appeal for me.

    At least one more dreadful year of Räikkönen dreary, predictable and petulant drivel.

    1. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
      10th September 2013, 9:11

      @psynrg – Tell us how you really feel…

      1. Thank you very much! ROFL

    2. I’m no fan of Kimi, but Ferrari need someone with experience and that can serve as a benchmark of sorts if they bring a Hulkenberg into the team.

    3. A career going nowhere?! #3 in championship last year and top three in the first half of this year in Formula One is a Dream Career for most professional drivers in the world. I guess the fact that Kimi doesn’t spout constant hyperbolic nonsense or cliched self-promotional b.s. at every opportunity must disagree with your sensibility. Kimi is actually one of the reasons why I still watch F1, because he is such a great technical driver (my personal measure of talent, I guess).

  18. If Kimi goes to Ferrari it also shows that ALO has lost a big chunk of his influence in Maranello – he is well known that he doesn’t want a competitive team-mate resp. that he wants a clear #1 status.
    Will be very interesting to see if ALO really retires in red.

    1. If Kimi goes to Ferrari it also shows that ALO has lost a big chunk of his influence in Maranello

      When did he has it ???

      1. “When did he has it ???”

        All your base are belong to us

  19. I’ve just thought, everyone, me included, is thinking Massa would get the boot. What if however Alonso fancies his chances with the team that gave him his two titles again (Benetton->Renault->Lotus)

    Seat swap with Kimi…

    Now that would be interesting…

    1. Honestly, if James Allison was still at Lotus, I would be really happy about the swap.

      As much as I hate to admit it, Alonso’s best option is to stick with the red for another year… and if they still cannot give him a championship winning car, then quit and look for a swap with Vettel

      1. Alonso will never go to Red Bull.

      2. He’s got a contract until 2016

    2. Alonso is happy to be second … all that matters is that neat red uniform.

    3. I think by the time Alonso left Enstone for Ferrari they were pretty glad to see the back of him.

  20. Not going to RBR just confirms how smart Kimi really is. Maybe he wants to see how it is when Santander pays you to BE in the team, not leaving it…

  21. The only real question is whether Kimi will switch to a red tint for his Oakley Dispatches next year.

    And with Mark I often see with his body language that despite what’s happened this year, and things like the Top Gear interview, Mark still respects Vettel as a driver, and I can respect [i]that[/i]. Credit where credit’s due.

  22. So where will Massa end up if LDM sigs Kimi or Hulk?

    1. Lotus? Maybe, they need money and Massa can get a few sponsors.
    2. Sauber? Eventually. They have Russians with deep pockets on board and they could be tempted to fire Carlos Slim driverGutierrez
    3. Williams? No likely. Seems that they’re happy with Maldonado and Bottas.

    Massa faces the possibility to end up without a drive for 2014… and when was the last year without a Brazilian driver? It’s becoming clear that neither Razia nor Nasr will be in F1 next year and without Massa the nation of greats like Fitipaldi, Piquet and Senna will stage a GP without local hero next season.

    1. I think the line-ups:
      Lotus – Grosjean and Hulkenberg
      Sauber – Bianchi and Sirotkin
      Williams – Maldonado and Bottas

      So at this point I don’t think he’ll get a drive. The most likely options are Lotus and Sauber like you said.

      1. @deej92 – If that was the case, I would love for Sauber to have one of their seemingly ramdon good years where the get everything right and can compete for points. I’d love to see what Bianchi could do in a decent car!

        1. @petebaldwin Absolutely. We can then see how much he can drag out of the car because at the moment Marussia aren’t a match for Caterham no matter who is in the car. I’d expect Bianchi to be a regular points-scorer in a decent car.

        2. Or Geido VDG. I like those kids, such a shame their cars are 3 secods off the pace @petebaldwin

      2. @deej92 That means Marussia will have an opening ;)

        1. @beejis60 My money’s on Magnussen being loaned to them.

    2. Maldonado will be slower now he has kids. Maybe that’s what really happened to Massa – nothing to do with head injuries or team orders or Alonso…

      If I was Eric Boullier, and assuming you-know-who has departed to you-know-where, who would I want to drive for me – Hulkenberg or Massa? I’d have both! Not having to pay Kimi would save Lotus a fortune.

  23. Ignore this if it’s already been said on here, but the last time Raikkonen signed for Ferrari the date was the 10th September 2006. Can we expect an announcement today?

    1. Can we expect an announcement today?

      I don’t think so, It is almost certain that Raikkonen has a Ferrari contract in his bag but there is some questions that need to be resolved before the official announcement
      These days Montezemolo is a little busy in the Francofort car showroom which is very important not only for Ferrari but for the whole Fiat group
      Hulkenberg was having a promise from Ferrari before the hungarian GP, his management were waiting Ferrari to sign it but now after Raikkonen’s situation change he became also on Lotus short list
      Massa has a contract which won’t be renewed and they will tell him to start looking for a new team
      Fernando’s situation with Ferrari is not 100% clear within the team even if it looks like, there has been rumors about him returning to Enstone under a full support from Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn or returning to McLaren under the desire of Martin Whitmarsh maybe that’s why the option on Jenson has not be confirmed yet because of this, in my opinion the rumors about Fernando’s future are probably his own making just to put pressure on the team not to sign Raikkonen because according to some close sources from Ferrari he has been pushing for Felipe staying in Ferrari next year

      1. @tifoso1989 If Raikkonen has signed then Alonso might leave it a season and then I see him leaving for the 2015 season, unless he has a successful season then he’ll stay. Lotus and McLaren are the only options that seem viable, even though he had a bad experience with McLaren in 2007. Surely Alonso won’t leave just yet?

  24. I think it’s worth analysing the performances of Alonso and Raikkonen before saying one of them will beat the other.
    First let’s compare the performances against Massa, Alsonso usually beats him by 5 tenths in qualifying. Raikkonen? Well they were fairly evenly matched however I think the “start the race with qualifying fuel” regulation flattered Massa at least in the early years. I’d say overall Raikkonen was on average about 1 tenth faster than Massa. Okay so how about Romain Grosjean. Same story Alonso out qualifies Grosjean on average by about 5-6 tenths of a second. Raikkonen on the other hand has often been out qualified by Grosjean or only beats him by a tenth. I think Kimi is faster than Massa but if you just look at their performance against their shared team mates it seems to me that unless there’s a big shock at Ferrari next year Raikkonen is going to be beaten fairly easily.

    1. @tuvothepirate IMHO Fernando Alonso will beat Kimi Raikkonen not only in qualy but also on race day.

    2. You’re completely ignoring 2 important facts. Grosjean didn’t even start the 10 first races of the season at Renault in 2009 so he had minimal experience of F1 cars when he suddenly got promoted to a race seat. The second fact is that Massa’s performance has dropped a lot after his accident. Put Alonso up against pre 2009 Massa and I think Massa would be able challenge him a lot more. So you’re comparing an improved Grosjean to a declining Massa.

  25. I’m seeing on various social networks that Ferrari are going to make an announcement imminently. Within 10 minutes, apparently.

    1. You know what they say: you shouldn’t trust everything you read – especially on social networks.

      1. Right you are, think I got a little too excited there!

        I always seem to be asleep or working or swimming whenever these announcements are made so I was hoping to be on Twitter immediately after the announcement!

      2. IDK what you’re talking about man. I’m married to Gisele Bundchen and Heidi Klum on stalkbook…

  26. I have to say, as much as I love Felipe, I find the prospect of Raikkonen joining Ferrari far too exciting! Not only would they have the strongest driver lineup in 2014 by a mile, but it could well be one of the strongest driver lineups ever. Aside from the obvious Senna/Prost, I can’t think of any other lineup in F1’s history which would be quite as good as Alonso/Raikkonen. Can anyone else?

    On an off-topic note, cheers for the COTD Keith!

  27. Lotus talking about technical tie up with Renault / McLaren havent yet put pen to paper for Button / Perez secure due to Telmex money coming / Things not soo good at Ferrari between LDM and Alonso / looks like Kimi to Massas seat is going to happen.

    On that basis 2014 seats as follows
    Ferrari – Alo & Kimi
    Lotus – Hulk and Grosjean (Renault will want a frenchman)
    McLaren – Perez and Button ( no BIG replacemnets available to take Buttons seat)

    ….or if Alo/LDM clash once Kimi signed and he walks…Alonso could go to Lotus Renault or McLaren…
    Ferrari – Kimi and Hulk or Button
    Lotus – Gros and Alonso or Hulk
    Mclaren – Perez and Button or Alonso
    Sauber – Gut and Massa

    …..or the Kimi to Ferrari isnt a done deal and they go for the Hulk
    Ferrari – Alo and Hulk
    Lotus – Grosjean and Kimi or Button or Massa
    McLaren – Perez and Button or Kimi
    Sauber – Gut and Massa or ??

    Massa has a ferrari engined fallback to Sauber, much as he may not want it; but Button could be screwed and his management have not always been the best so he could get turned over. McLaren must be looking at the silly season fallout otherwise they would have nailed him down by now!!

    1. @warfieldf1

      McLaren – Perez and Button ( no BIG replacemnets available to take Buttons seat)

      You’re forgetting good ole Pauly DiBesta :p

  28. I do not understand the hype and hoopla over Ferrari being totally new to the concept of treating two drivers equally. They were doing it as recent as 2007-09 (when a certain Finnish driver joined them). There was no clear no. 1 until the championship contender was clear. I believe the Schumi era and Alonso era (so far) is very prominent in people’s memories.

    1. I dont think they do it with Massa until he is out of contention.
      I suspect the hoopla surrounds a belief that Alonso doesnt like a competitive team mate.

      1. It is my belief that they expected KR to be the 1 rooster on the team but it didn’t quite happen that way so it appeared as though there was equality on the team between the drivers, which perhaps there was, but I suspect it was not their original plan. I think they assumed that KR would immediately dominate FM and FM would naturally have to become the non-rooster.

  29. Button and Kimi to Ferrari. Alonso to McLaren. Hulkenberg to Lotus. Massa to Sauber. You heard it here first.

  30. I predicted Red Bulls decision wrong, but this time I’m really 100% sure that Kimi will replace Felipe. ^^
    Finally, I think I can now have respect for Ferrari. I’m tired of Alonso n°1 in the team.
    Also, second prediction: Hulkenberg will replace Kimi, while Grosjean stays at the team. Boulliers said a while ago that Kimi leaving the team ‘would secure Romains place in the team’.
    The question is, what will happen to Felipe? He said he don’t want to finish his career in a lower team but there’s a seat coming free at Sauber next year so what wil it be Massa-Sirotkin or Gutierrez-Sirotkin?
    Also Caterham said they want an experienced driver next year, so maybe Kovaleinen will come back.

    First let’s compare the performances against Massa, Alsonso usually beats him by 5 tenths in qualifying.

    OK @tuvothepirate … can you give me 3 races this year where Alonso beated Massa with more than half a second in qualifying? Massa was faster than Alonso on 3 occasions this year in qualifying, he’s a fast driver who definetely deserves a seat in F1, but maybe not in a top team anymore.

  31. Somehow I find it hard to imagine Kimi would agree to play “tow donkey” for Alonso, as much I can’t imagine Alonso is willing to accept teammate on equal terms.
    As much as I like Massa I would really love to see this.

  32. One Felipe Massa is greater than many Alonsos, Hamiltons and Raikkonens combined. But all he has done post Alonso is to sell his soul to Ferrari and I would rather see him leave F1 than sticking with the scuderia once more.
    On other lines.. both Massa and Webber had the potential to become the first non-European champion since Villeneuve (part-European) or to go further back.. Senna (totally non European), but they missed out on the only chance they had and now it can not be done by either of them, although mathematically they both have a chance this season. Ricciardo could be the only hope for the rest of world because I don’t see Perez doing a Senna at McLaren.

    1. Senna was of Italian descent, so he was part-European. Quite a lot of Brazilian F1 drivers have been of Italian descent.

      1. So how far do we need to go back then exactly ?? or “To Whom” to put it that way.

      2. Ok… so how far do we have to go back to find the last fully non-European Formula 1 world Champion ?

        1. @nimba 1979 which was won by Jody Scheckter as he is Jewish.

    2. Villeneuve is only European by choice… He was born completely Canadian!

    3. “One Felipe Massa is greater than many Alonsos, Hamiltons and Raikkonens combined”

      Oh dear… If Massa was “that good” he at leas should be able to keep up with his team mate, because If massa had any pace, Alonso probably was World Champion last year… But because massa strugled to get into Q3, he never stole points to Alonso’s rivals… And the team wouldn’t want that… so his poor performance couldn’t be wanted by the team…

Comments are closed.