Well, yes, but a different situation no... Yes and no. Maybe the car is capable of those drives with say Vandoorne or Gasly also...If Ericsson isn't capable of delivering (and I've never had an indication he could deliver)...we don't know how much further the car can go? Let me be clear here, I'm very impressed with Leclerc and followed his career when I first saw him race. He's extremely talented. I'd be surprised to not see him get on in the Ferrari. An extra year against a more serious teammate will not hurt him.
I guess I'm not understanding your point regarding teammate. In the lower tier team orders are rare, unless the teammates are somewhat equal and end up clashing with each other (e.g. Ocon and Perez last yr). Leclerc is almost running on par with Haas now, even though it seems Haas is considered a better car. So either Leclerc is a superior driver to Grossjean/Mag, or Leclerc has played a major part in developing the Sauber over just half a season, or both. I'm betting on both, which means putting him in Haas for a yr before stepping up to the Scuderia may not be much benefit. Sauber would probably like him to stay there for another season if he starts regularly scoring points with their car. If he has been instrumental in helping improve the car then that argument for Kimi remaining at Ferrari goes out the window. Regardless, he is fun to watch and will be someone to be reckoned with once in a top tier car.
What I'm getting at is, we know that Ericsson isn't a great performer. Maybe the Sauber is a really good car, superior to the Haas even, and it should outperform the Haas every single race with ease. That's the question mark. We know that Kmag is a quicker guy than Ericsson, hence running Leclerc alongside him in equal machinery Ferrari can more accurately gauge him. In this short time Leclerc will not have been instrumental to any Sauber development. I fully agree with your last statement. He's obviously far from slow and has gelled with the Sauber very quickly, it took him a few races to figure the car out and he's been performing super ever since. He's made some mistakes (which is fine and something he should be doing, IMO), but they've gone a little bit unnoticed because he's not running in the top. If he's made those mistakes at Ferrari he'd be shown the door quite quickly. When Kimi does leave the sport Leclerc is my favourite replacement.
I would be surprised if he hasn't. It's been reported he stays late with the team and is heavily involved in the set up changes. It doesn't take long for a smart driver to give the necessary inputs to develop quickly. Team morale responds heavily to an involved driver, at all levels of motorsport, and that helps development too. Speaking from experience, a good driver has a significant impact on how quick a car can progress.
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/137546/sauber-not-ruling-out-raikkonen-2019-link Sauber boss Fred Vasseur has not ruled out the suggestion that Kimi Raikkonen could return to the team where he started his Formula 1 career. With Ferrari understood to be ready to promote protege and current Sauber driver Charles Leclerc into its main team for 2019, there has also been talk that the 2007 F1 world champion could move in the opposite direction. Ferrari is understood to have the right to name one of the two Sauber drivers, and current Sauber third driver Antonio Giovinazzi is the obvious candidate as no other drivers in the Maranello junior programme are suitably qualified. The suggestion is that the Sauber seat could instead be earmarked for Raikkonen as part of a package that keeps him within the Ferrari family if he is willing to continue his career into 2019.
From a Andrew Benson post.. There is potentially a major change looming at Ferrari. President and chief executive officer Sergio Marchionne is ill and a board meeting is taking place today to discuss replacing him. It is expected that his position as president will be taken by John Elkann, who controls the parent Fiat Group, and chief executive officer will be Louis Carey Camilleri, a former boss of tobacco maker Philip Morris, the team’s main sponsor. This could have huge ramifications on and off the track. Off it, it is not clear what might change, but Marchionne has been central to discussions about the shape of F1 post-2020. On it, it was Marchionne who was determined to promote Charles Leclerc, who last month agreed a deal to move to Ferrari next year. But with Marchionne out of the frame, the situation could shift, and it certainly raises the chances of Kimi Raikkonen staying on - as Sebastian Vettel made it clear on Thursday he would prefer.
Shoulder issues for Sergio. The deal with Leclerc would have been passed to the board as well. There is so much speculation that much or nothing could change.
Not in this short time frame. Doesn't happen. Setup yes, but instrumental to the car devel0pment, nope.
What a pitty Ferrari has to decide before the end of the year... IF Seb wins the title this year there would be absolutley no need to change the drivers line-up for next year...but if he looses the title again maybe he needs to be pushed a little bit more by putting Leclerc into the second car. And I would like to see Kimi at Sauber and how he can perform free of all restraints being support driver as he is at Ferrari right now.
I don't get that. Why should an operation on his shoulder make any difference. He's running the company not playing tennis for them! Surely more to it than that. That said, I would be surprised if a change at the top of Ferrari would have much impact on plans for next season which, as you rightly say, would surely not be purely based on the presence or absence of one man.
Quoting my own post because I see other reports that say 'massive complications resulting from shoulder surgery' which doesn't sound good.
After that race result you still want Kimi to go? He didn't **** the entire thing just because it was a little damp. Keep Kimi and get rid of Vettel. Pathetic.
It appeared Kimi is losing his taste for crow Did you notice how he spit it out before being interviewed Swallowing one's pride always leaves a nasty taste
LeClerc had an awful race today. The 360 was epic though....nice save. Moving him to Ferrari IMO is too soon. Moving him up to HAAS against K-Mag is a good measure towards his improvement while noting he is putting pts on that Alfa-Sauber.
Despite Kimi's demeanor, I think he is the fastest alternative and I agree with whoever said he should be kept.
To Chuck Leclerc and Ferrari, going to Haas is a lateral move that doesn't make that much sense. He goes to Ferrari in 2019 and Kimi goes out to pasture. I believe this arrangement to already be signed. Look to Monza for the announcement.
I don't see the HAAS as a lateral move. It's a better car than the Alfa's so he can improve with them. Yes, waiting to here that announcement. I would be happy with whatever decision Ferrari makes.
I can only think that Kimi is dyslexic and can't tell the difference between 1st and 3rd. After Vettle's crash Kimi should have been flogging his car to at least get 2nd. If he is this unmotivated driving the best car on the grid, he will only be worse in a mid pack car. Perhaps teaming him with Stroll would be a better match...that way Kimi would only have to fight for 19th.
He and Bottas where both on brand new ultras. Passing is hard. Who said he didn't try? I remind you that Verstappen was inches away from him...on brand new tyres. He also didn't pass. On top of that...one attempted pass on Bottas, getting blocked...would mean Verstappen gets his nose in and a podium was lost. Can't win with the people here it seems.
https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/918o3p/team_radio_before_the_vettelräikkönen_swap_in/ To behonest let's dump pr over team orders. Merc did it on purpose in Sliverstone with Bottas with that so Ferrari needs to maximize Seb chances. I understand the respect Kimi is given, but holding up Seb is not helping matters and I rather they let him immediately.
