Yes. Kimi is more than likely staying put, but I have given up predicting driver moves ....when Ham jumped ship to Merc, I never thought that would happen, so it's anybody's guess.
I actually think it's going to happen now. Why, I have no idea, but it has to be a plus for the constructor's title at least. Alonso and Kimi seems like a stronger pairing than Vettel and Ricciardo if you can get them to get along.
There has been an air of seriousness to this KR rumor that I've felt since the it first started being gossiped about. Though sounding fantastic, still believable for some reason.
I bet 100 to 1 it's a done deal. Now Ferrari has the best driver pair in F1. No more excuses. Now they just need to provide them with a worthy car. I'd say they're the favorites in BOTH WDC and WCC for 2014. At least RB will give them a run for their money, but Ferrari will definitely have the driver edge at least in 2014. Rivalries usually take some time to brew... if they happen. It'll be interesting to watch how well top drivers cope with all the changes. But man, I'll surely miss the shrieking sound of the high-revving V8s .
Kimi back at Ferrari, awesome. Two of my favoritest drivers currently on the grid on one team? Can't wait to watch them race.
Would be fun if they could speed up his retirement and give his seat to Bianchi for the last few races.
YAY! It was so hard to support Ferrari when it was just crybaby and Massa, who just doesn't have the consistent pace. I look forward to more Kimi in the podium-post race press conference. I hope Alonso can cope...
Interesting times. I have a feeling Raikkonen will give Alonso a run for his money. All the best, Andrew.
I have the feeling that while they both may give very good feedback to the team, nothing good will come out of it for the two of them. If Kimi is faster than Alonso, Kimi will keep his pokerface and Alonso will explode. If Alonso is faster than Kimi, Kimi will keep his pokerface and stop driving, like he did in 2008 and 2009. A clear #1/#2 situation would be better overall IMHO. Too much drama with two top drivers...
+ 1, Florian: my feeling exactly. I can't make any logic out of this deal, but Kimi had forewarned us this summer, about six weeks ago, when he said "my decison will probably not seem logical to most..." Rgds
Only issue now is, IIRC Alonso prefers a car that's slightly understeery whereas Raikkonen hates that. Which way will the design swing?
I've been saying this for a long time. I seriously don't get the excitement for Kimi to return. Overall, his first stint at Ferrari was not successful; Massa consistently out drove him. Now everyone's thrilled to have him back. It's an utter failure waiting to happen. Mark
The current Massa is not the same racy Massa that he was 2008-2009. I don't think he ever recovered from the accident. If media reports are to be believed, he costs 6m Euros per season. Likewise, the current Kimi is not the same complacent Kimi that he was in 2008-2009. He seemed satisfied following his F1 title and lost some drive - but after a year out of F1 he seems to have rediscovered it. If media reports are to be believed, Lotus were struggling to pay him the 3m Euros per season they had agreed - so presumably he'd drive for the Scuderia for Massa's rates or less. As much as I like Massa and have sympathy for him, I'd rather have Kimi next year. Kimi might also give Alonso a bit of a push. All the best, Andrew.
More cloak and dagger, Gentlemen? A Finn was spotted yesterday evening entering the Ferrari factory at Maranello... F1, Formule 1 - Infos - Raikkonen aurait signé son contrat hier soir | Nextgen-Auto.com Short translation: Kimi Räikkönen has not left Italy after the Monza Grand Prix: the Finn was spotted around Maranello yesterday late in the evening for a meeting with Luca di Montezemolo and Stefano Domenicali. Räikkönen left the factory at about midnight and the deal is supposed to be already signed. The official announcement is imminent and may be done today Tuesday, to avoid the unfortunate anniversary date of Sept 11th and the tragedy that struck the United States twelve years ago. Furthermore, today being September 10th, that would be a strong omen as it is exactly seven years to the day that the first deal between Kimi Räikkönen and Ferrari was announced. Rgds
