planetf1.com

I ask the question because I'm starting to get the sinking feeling that they will re-sign Raikkonen again. This is a case of a mediocre driver keeping a top seat warm for 4 years (5 if they keep him for 2018) without winning a single race.

I sincerely hope that they don't make this decision. If for nothing else, just for the sporting side of things. In a car that has been best or second best in every race this season, Raikkonen still has managed to trail Ricciardo in the points at the half-way point and is the only driver in the top 2 teams that hasn't won a race and is nowhere near the championship battle. It's a recurring theme with Kimi; under-performance.

I really hope they move on next year but, if Red Bull won't release either Dan or Max, it seems likely that they will wait one more year so that they can sign one of them. I just don't see any other drivers that they would be likely to replace Kimi with.

What I hope: Vettel, Verstappen
what probably will be: Vettel, Räikkönen

The latter would be a lame decision but it fits Ferrari driver policy: first keeping Massa year after year, the replacing him with Räikkönen who already proved he was no better, then keeping Räikkönen year after year ...

Point is that if Vettel stays he will not want Max Verstappen there, Different if Vettel moves but Mercedes? Vettel has many fast youngsters to compete with. Toto is looking to the future, is Vettel the future?
Its in the hands of Ferrari management, who have a bit of a tendency to sack themselves!

Considering Vettel is also pushing for Kimi to be re-signed at Ferrari for 2018 makes this much more ironic.

He's the weak link which is costing Ferrari in the WCC. Ricciardo being ahead of him in the standings just proves that a change is required. If Red Bull gets more sturdy & doesn't break down as often, Ferrari could be under threat from Red Bull in the WCC standings. The reason Perez only went for a 1 year deal with FI was because he hoped there will be a opening at Ferrari.

No doubt Raikkonen's attitude makes him suitable for Ferrari but his pace is most of the times lacking. You just can't place Kimi in the same group as Hamilton, Bottas & Vettel when it comes to craftsmanship, aggressiveness & the burning desire to win!

If he retires, no love will be lost but it's high time some deserving driver gets a shot in 2018. It all depends Ferrari have set their sights on which driver & when would he be available.

This has the potential to be the Kimi bashing thread that some have been waiting for to get their feelings out! Let the bashing begin, no fair analysis allowed!!

He has not been great but also not bad, he has a ton of bad luck, questionable team calls, incidents that were not caused by him and car problems also.

This will be a good one

Hopefully Ricciardo/Verstappen/Alonso against Vettel.

But probably Vettel and Räikönnen.

PRFAN wrote:This has the potential to be the Kimi bashing thread that some have been waiting for to get their feelings out! Let the bashing begin, no fair analysis allowed!!

He has not been great but also not bad, he has a ton of bad luck, questionable team calls, incidents that were not caused by him and car problems also.

This will be a good one

The thread is not meant to bash Kimi. I agree that he has not been awful but I would hope that a top team has a higher standard to employ a driver than "don't be awful". Kimi has been nowhere this year relative to the other drivers in top cars. He is inconsistent and unspectacular. He seems unable to overtake or defend on the level of the other top drivers and his performance relative to Vettel during the races has been laughable.

I would hope that they move on from him. It's clear that he is now in the bottom half of the grid's performers as a driver and that's not something that's likely to change moving forward. There is an entire generation of drivers who never got a chance in a top team. If Dan or Max are not available, Ferrari should do what Merc did with Bottas and sign Perez, Ro-Gro or Sainze to a 1 year deal. Give someone an opportunity ffs.

I don't understand why they go for such an expensive, under-performing driver. Surely they can find someone a lot cheaper than Kimi willing to do the same job? Hell, they could get Massa for half the price.

There are numerous drivers in the world of motorsport who could match Kimi's general performances, and be happy to pick up a couple of million and play 2nd fiddle at Ferrari. Many of them couldn't get near Kimi's peak performance, but neither than Kimi so who cares?

Probably retain Kimi, not very exciting but that's the way it is.

I get that they wan't to keep their options open for 2019 when a lot of contracts are up for renewal but personally I'd prefer them to give Grosjean a year instead just to see something different. I like Kimi but he's just not performing well enough to warrant the seat, I hope he can win one more race for Ferrari before they part ways though.

They'll retain Kimi and no he doesn't deserve it

If the seat opens up I cant see them going for Verstappen (yet) more likely his team mate or someone like Sergio Perez.
I'd say things will remain the same for another year though.

If Ferrari really put in all the effort required, then the best they can do is retain Räikkönen alongside Vettel. There is only one driver who could replace Räikkönen with any hope of continuity, without continuity (if you understand what I mean). And whether Alonso will be available, is for him to know and for us to guess.

Ricciardo leaving Red Bull now would be rather like running away.

It certainly is going to be interesting to see how Ferrari are going to explain their final signing.

I suspect that it is more non ferrari fans are more concerned with this than ferrari fans themselves. Am I wrong?

How's Kimi at technical feedback? No doubt he's got a lot of experience but his lack of desire seems to have faded. Ferrari know he's got millions of fans worldwide & wonder if Ferrari care to lose their loyalty once they oust Kimi?

Also worth pointing out that the rumours are that Kimi has already been offered a 1 year deal for next year but hasn't signed yet. Maybe Kimi will decide to bow out himself?

Black_Flag_11 wrote:Also worth pointing out that the rumours are that Kimi has already been offered a 1 year deal for next year but hasn't signed yet. Maybe Kimi will decide to bow out himself?

Maybe Williams might tempt him assuming Massa retires?

James14 wrote:I suspect that it is more non ferrari fans are more concerned with this than ferrari fans themselves. Am I wrong?

I imagine plenty non-Ferrari fans might want their driver in that car

mcdo wrote:They'll retain Kimi and no he doesn't deserve it

I think he deserves it, he outperformed Vettel the whole weekend and is quick enough to get pole at Monaco. If Kimi doesn't deserve it, then neither does Vettel.

Give Kimi a car he is comfortable with and he can still get the job done. Kimi doesn't shine that often but he still has it, also Vettel is the better of the two but the gap isn't that big.

Maybe if you pair Vettel with a driver that is allowed to beat him, Vettel would try harder? See how Rosberg pushed Hamilton to the max, and same with Bottas.

Then again, they tried that at RB and Vettel quit.

Warheart01 wrote:

mcdo wrote:They'll retain Kimi and no he doesn't deserve it

I think he deserves it, he outperformed Vettel the whole weekend and is quick enough to get pole at Monaco. If Kimi doesn't deserve it, then neither does Vettel.

Give Kimi a car he is comfortable with and he can still get the job done. Kimi doesn't shine that often but he still has it, also Vettel is the better of the two but the gap isn't that big.

Maybe if you pair Vettel with a driver that is allowed to beat him, Vettel would try harder? See how Rosberg pushed Hamilton to the max, and same with Bottas.

Then again, they tried that at RB and Vettel quit.

Throw any F1 driver against any F1 driver and they'll likely win at least some of the time. Vettel has massively outperformed Kimi.

Give Kimi a car he's comfortable with and he can get the job done. Unfortunately his window is far too narrow for a truly top-tier driver. Vettel is a top-tier driver.

Yes, he is. But Kimi isn't that bad as people make him out to be.

James14 wrote:I suspect that it is more non ferrari fans are more concerned with this than ferrari fans themselves. Am I wrong?

I suspect F1 fans who want to see close fights at the top are concerned.

Warheart01 wrote:If Kimi doesn't deserve it, then neither does Vettel.

You're like an automated bad joke machine. I'll give you a call if I ever get into the Christmas cracker manufacturing business

I think Ricciardo should get the seat. He is mature and has proven himself to be a top-tier driver several times, in one of the years beating Ferraris current No.1 driver in a dominant fashion.

Edit: Also Ricciardo is much more liked than Vettel and would be a great ambassadour for Ferrari, and he is allowed to take part in roadsafety events!

I get why Verstappen would want to move to Ferrari, especially if Vettel leaves, but I see as much chance of Red Bull producing a race winning car next year as Ferrari has, and in some ways even a better chance strategy-wise.

mcdo wrote:

James14 wrote:I suspect that it is more non ferrari fans are more concerned with this than ferrari fans themselves. Am I wrong?

I imagine plenty non-Ferrari fans might want their driver in that car

True and the fans of every other driver except Hamilton and Bottas are envious of the Mercedes seats.

There are many variables a team has to consider when choosing and/or retaining a driver. Putting two top tier drivers in a team does not always work. Kimi probably brings a lot to the table even if his results are not what they should be.

Black_Flag_11 wrote:Also worth pointing out that the rumours are that Kimi has already been offered a 1 year deal for next year but hasn't signed yet. Maybe Kimi will decide to bow out himself?

Yes, I read that. I wonder why he would do that, unless he is questioning whether he wants to stay in F1?

I'd love for Kimi to stay, as long as he demonstrates he's capable. But this year I think he's been generally sub-standard. He's not been too bad in qualifying, well, not all the time, but for some reason he can't seem to hang onto Vettel in the races. I know he's had some bad luck but in that car he really shouldn't be struggling to challenge for a podium spot. If Vettel wasn't in the team people would be thinking the Mercedes were dominant again.

I get that Vettel would want to keep him - he's no threat and very much a team player, absolutely non-political. But he must see how much he's hurting the team. It's a measure of how much Ferrari must want Vettel to stay that they're even considering offering Kimi an extension

mcdo wrote:

Warheart01 wrote:If Kimi doesn't deserve it, then neither does Vettel.

You're like an automated bad joke machine. I'll give you a call if I ever get into the Christmas cracker manufacturing business

You won't afford it mate.

Warheart01 wrote:

mcdo wrote:They'll retain Kimi and no he doesn't deserve it

I think he deserves it, he outperformed Vettel the whole weekend and is quick enough to get pole at Monaco. If Kimi doesn't deserve it, then neither does Vettel.

Give Kimi a car he is comfortable with and he can still get the job done. Kimi doesn't shine that often but he still has it, also Vettel is the better of the two but the gap isn't that big.

Maybe if you pair Vettel with a driver that is allowed to beat him, Vettel would try harder? See how Rosberg pushed Hamilton to the max, and same with Bottas.

Then again, they tried that at RB and Vettel quit.

One race weekend doesn't make him worthy, though. It just makes it even more frustrating that he can't replicate it every other weekend

You're right in that. But my guess is that the Ferrari is more tailored to Vettel, rightly so I guess. But if it was more tailored to Kimi and he didn't feel as the designated no.2 I think he would have these results a bit more often. He isn't passed it as this weekend and the Monaco pole has proven.

PRFAN wrote:This has the potential to be the Kimi bashing thread that some have been waiting for to get their feelings out! Let the bashing begin, no fair analysis allowed!!

He has not been great but also not bad, he has a ton of bad luck, questionable team calls, incidents that were not caused by him and car problems also.

This will be a good one

Yea, sometimes I shake my head. Yesterday he drove a spectacular race, and when his team let him down with faulty strategy and a flat tire, he still finished on the podium for very important points for Ferrari. Anyone with any powers of observation saw that he was completely disconsolate after the race, to believe he does not have that inner drive still alive is just false.

Ferrari criticized him a few months ago for his poor qualifying performance. Guess what happened? He picked up his game and became much better at qualifying.

Ferrari pick and choose drivers who suit their agenda. At times they retain drivers that may appear worthy of trade, such as Barrichello and Massa. But in the long run, drivers like that provide the peace and stability within a very political and turbulent team. And it's the same with Raikkonen. Their star drive Vettel may go off the boil with a different teammate.

Yes, he may be enjoying his last year at Ferrari. He is definitely getting close to his expiry date. But right now he is providing a very essential service for this team.

Final question, which driver is the most beloved and popular for fans? Vettel or Raikkonen?

Good post!
A pole at Monaco is fantastic and probably the hardest to get on the calender, and he did it against Vettel who many rate as being one of the quickest over a lap.

Earlier I wanted to write that Ferrari should replace Vettel with Ricciardo, but didn't because people would chase me with pitchforks, but since they already do that I will write it now.

Ricciardo and Kimi would be fantastic.

Warheart01 wrote:Good post!
A pole at Monaco is fantastic and probably the hardest to get on the calender, and he did it against Vettel who many rate as being one of the quickest over a lap.

Earlier I wanted to write that Ferrari should replace Vettel with Ricciardo, but didn't because people would chase me with pitchforks, but since they already do that I will write it now.

Ricciardo and Kimi would be fantastic.

Well if Vettel takes Hamilton's seat as Mercedes apparently want then I guess they could do

Black_Flag_11 wrote:

Warheart01 wrote:Good post!
A pole at Monaco is fantastic and probably the hardest to get on the calender, and he did it against Vettel who many rate as being one of the quickest over a lap.

Earlier I wanted to write that Ferrari should replace Vettel with Ricciardo, but didn't because people would chase me with pitchforks, but since they already do that I will write it now.

Ricciardo and Kimi would be fantastic.

Well if Vettel takes Hamilton's seat as Mercedes apparently want then I guess they could do

Where does Hamilton go...Ferrari?

I'm surprised that no-one has commented on Max to Ferrari, personally I can't see Vettel staying if that happened, has Vettel stated he want's to stay racing or has he mentioned retiring?

What is most surprising here is over half the people responding here are Hamilton fans from what we have seen since '14 and since Canada if Mercedes remains that dominant whats the point in having two competitive drivers at Ferrari next year so they can take points of each other and Mercedes further ahead or to distract ourselves with the in fighting at Ferrari with Hamilton further down the road?

The thread should be about Vettel, Alonso, Ricciardo or Max going to Mercedes not about the second driver at Ferrari.

The mind boggles, if Ferrari were the dominant team worrying about their second driver will make sense.

The speculation will continue till Monza when Ferrari announces his contract 2+1 option and everyone will calm down.

Rockie wrote:What is most surprising here is over half the people responding here are Hamilton fans from what we have seen since '14 and since Canada if Mercedes remains that dominant whats the point in having two competitive drivers at Ferrari next year so they can take points of each other and Mercedes further ahead or to distract ourselves with the in fighting at Ferrari with Hamilton further down the road?

The thread should be about Vettel, Alonso, Ricciardo or Max going to Mercedes not about the second driver at Ferrari.

The mind boggles, if Ferrari were the dominant team worrying about their second driver will make sense.

I think people are interested in how different drivers will stack up against each other. It's exciting to think about how Vettel wouldcstsck up alongside Verstappen, Perez etc.

Rockie wrote:The speculation will continue till Monza when Ferrari announces his contract 2+1 option and everyone will calm down.

I'd be shocked if Kimi got more than a 1 year contract. He's been on 1 year rolling contracts for a while now and hasn't shown anything that would make Ferrari want to change approach as far as I can see.

What's going to happen ? Ferrari will continue down the path of not knowing how to develop their damn car. In the off chance that they actually have a strong car, they'll be hard at work making sure to screw up Kimi's and / or Vettel's race with the worst strategy calls possible.

On a serious note .. Kimi hasn't done as badly as Ferrari themselves have. I'd imagine if he wanted to stay on, he could. Sergio isn't that much of a team player.. max is unavailable (thankfully). They don't want Alonso. Hamilton wont leave a team that has given him the best car for 4 years running.

Which other highly rated, accomplished driver is left ? Danny isn't available either if I'm not wrong.

James14 wrote:

Black_Flag_11 wrote:Also worth pointing out that the rumours are that Kimi has already been offered a 1 year deal for next year but hasn't signed yet. Maybe Kimi will decide to bow out himself?

Maybe Williams might tempt him assuming Massa retires?

I think Massa has still got enough in him for next year at Williams. The only reason I see Massa retiring is if Bottas gets kicked out of Mercedes. But then, if they don't keep Stroll and Bottas goes back to Williams, maybe Massa still will remain. His performance looked a bit poor last year, but he's been pretty good this year. His lack of points don't show how good he's been doing in a very similar way to Verstappen. Massa would have well over 30 more points if it wasn't for his bad luck. He would very likely be ahead of both Force India drivers infact. But that is where Williams should be based on their pace at the start of the season.

mikeyg123 wrote:

Rockie wrote:What is most surprising here is over half the people responding here are Hamilton fans from what we have seen since '14 and since Canada if Mercedes remains that dominant whats the point in having two competitive drivers at Ferrari next year so they can take points of each other and Mercedes further ahead or to distract ourselves with the in fighting at Ferrari with Hamilton further down the road?

The thread should be about Vettel, Alonso, Ricciardo or Max going to Mercedes not about the second driver at Ferrari.

The mind boggles, if Ferrari were the dominant team worrying about their second driver will make sense.

I think people are interested in how different drivers will stack up against each other. It's exciting to think about how Vettel wouldcstsck up alongside Verstappen, Perez etc.

Well going by the normal false equivalency he would be beaten by Max since Max is better than Ricciardo if not for reliability,

So what else do you want to know why not add Ericsson or Pascal? just surprised you are not keen to find out how Max will stack up against Hamilton.