Images courtesy of Scuderia Ferrari
With Kimi Raikkonen’s contract running out at the end of the season I thought in my first post for Formula Update that I would assess Ferrari’s options for next season and beyond.
7 races into the season and Kimi already 4th in the championship with 72 points. He has been on the podium once this season which was a second place position at the Bahrain Grand Prix, this was his first since the 2013 Korean Grand Prix and also his first since his return to Ferrari. So what is it that makes a few people question if he will be racing in red in 2016?
Well, compare his current 2015 record to his new teammate’s, Sebastian Vettel. Kimi has scored 72 points and has only been seen on the podium once this year. Vettel however has been on the podium 5 times and that tally includes his race win in Malaysia. Sebastian also has 108 points which is 36 points ahead of Kimi, and Vettel has outraced Raikkonen 5 times in 7 races. In April, Sky Sports F1 reported that Ferrari would retain the Finn if Hamilton couldn’t be lured to the Italian Team. Championship leader Hamilton has recently signed a new 3 year contract with defending World Champions Mercedes and since then Ferrari team boss Marizio Arrivabene has said to be using the 2016 contract idea as a motivator for Raikkonen leading people to believe that the Finn could be on his way out of Ferrari (once again) unless improvements to his results arise.
So what are Ferrari’s options? Will they decide to look at another driver to race and develop alongside Sebastian Vettel the 4-times World Champion, IF so then who could they go for? Or will they decide to keep Kimi?
Here are a few options I think Ferrari might have.
Nico Hulkenberg?
Hulkenberg is currently out of contract with Force India at the end of the season and has been looking for a top drive for a few years. He is 27 years old, the same as Sebastian Vettel, and still has a lot to offer on the Formula 1 grid. But Le Mans 24hr WEC race in June 2015 could tempt the German to race in other series after becoming frustrated at not being in competitive podium challenging and race winning cars.
Valtteri Bottas?
Bottas is another driver who is out of contract at the end of the year. Valtteri has a good reputation in the paddock at the moment and has been hailed a future Formula 1 World Champion. Williams-Mercedes will not want to lose their future star to a top team. But could a big contract and a competitive car could prize the Finn from the Williams team? Perhaps not, with a management team of Mika Hakkinen and Toto Wolff it would seem that Bottas’ future lies with Mercedes Power.
A Young Prospect?
There are many young prospects on the Formula 1 grid and in other racing series. Could Ferrari be looking at the next “Vettel” in a junior series? It is always a risk taking someone young and inexperienced on board into a top team but with Sebastian Vettel in the team then every day would teach the new protegé something new and help them with their Formula 1 career.
Stick with Kimi?
Raikkonen might just be having a bad year and 7 races in it is hard to judge, but there has been a lot of media speculation added with Marizio Arrivabene’s interviews and comments surrounding the Finn suggesting he might not be their next year. Only time will tell what will happen with Raikkonen and his current contract situation.
Ferrari have lot’s of options and I am sure Kimi is aware of this. He needs to be getting results and giving Sebastian and the Mercedes a better run for their money.
