There´re two more weeks left of the summer break but the silly season has turned sillier than usually. All kinds of rumours are moving around and the hottest topic has been this question: who will replace Mark Webber at Red Bull next season? Red Bull´s team principal Christian Horner has stated that the final call will be made between Toro Rosso´s Daniel Ricciardo and Lotus´s Kimi Räikkönen. But there´ve been suggestions that even Ferrari´s Fernando Alonso could move to Red Bull next year!
Why would Red Bull hire Daniel Ricciardo?
In my opinion Ricciardo would be the most obvious and natural choice for Red Bull. Ricciardo is driving for Red Bull´s sister team Toro Rosso and has been a part of Red Bull´s development programme for young drivers. And since Ricciardo got a chance to sit into the RB9 in the young drivers´ test at Silverstone in July the Australian has shown that he has the pace needed. We´ve seen a few glimpses of Ricciardo´s skills in the previous qualifying sessions as the Australian has managed to make his way through among the top ten. Ricciardo would be a "safe" choice for Red Bull also because hiring the Australian wouldn´t jeopardise the harmony inside the team. Ricciardo is fast for sure but I don´t believe he would be able to seriously challenge Vettel inside the team. Vettel would still be the number one driver. But Red Bull also wishes that they have the two continuosly competitive drivers who bring as many points for the team as possible. Would Ricciardo be able to fulfill those expectations? I doubt that. Ricciardo would be the safest choice for Red Bull but not the best one available!
Why would Red Bull hire Kimi Räikkönen?
There´re several reasons why Red Bull should definitely hire Kimi Räikkönen. Any team would be absolutely insane if it wasn´t interested to get the most consistent and competitive driver of F1 and that´s Kimi Räikkönen. The Iceman has won the world championship in 2007 and he holds the record of 26 consecutive points´ finishes. There´s no other driver in F1 who would more probably bring the maximum amount of points for the team than the Iceman! So in regard of points and future constructors´ titles Kimi would be the safest choice for Red Bull. But what happens to the harmony inside the team if Kimi moves to the team? Kimi and Sebastian get along with each other very well and they respect each other on and off the track. But it´s different as long as they drive in different teams. Kimi would definitely challenge Sebastian from the very first lap on the track! They both have a deep desire to win. Sometimes Sebastian wants to win at any cost like we saw in Malaysia this year. What would happen if there were team orders between Kimi and Sebastian? That would be the ultimate test for their mutual respect! But I believe this duo could achieve great things together! It could be a dream team in the right circumstances. Kimi is a guy who doesn´t play any mind games. He says directly if something is bothering him and he´s an honest guy. I believe that if Red Bull won´t hire Kimi it´s because of Kimi. I´m sure Kimi is Red Bull´s number one candidate for Webber´s seat. Money won´t be a problem for Red Bull: they can afford hiring Kimi. But if Red Bull wants to make a long-term deal with their driver, that could turn out to be a problem for Kimi. I don´t think that the Iceman is willing to make a multi-year contract. And though Red Bull would be willing to financially support Kimi´s Ice1Racing team in motocross, Kimi´s hands would still be tied in terms of his hobbies. I don´t think Red Bull would allow Kimi to participate in rallying or other dangerous activities. So if Red Bull really wants to get Kimi, all the details in the contract must be exactly right from Kimi´s point of view. It seems obvious that Kimi feels comfortable at Lotus but their financial situation seems unstable.
Why would Red Bull hire Fernando Alonso?
This doesn´t even feel like a realistic question to be asked but there´s been speculation about Alonso going to Red Bull next year. Alonso has expressed his frustration at Ferrari´s current car very loudly before the summer break. Alonso, however, has a contract with Ferrari until 2016. Though having a contract doesn´t necessarily mean that you would really drive for the team like we saw in Kimi´s case. The Finn had a contract with Ferrari for the season 2010 but still Santander bought the seat for Alonso that year! But Alonso and Vettel as team-mates would be the craziest idea ever! Two absolutely stubborn drivers who share an ultimate desire to win sounds like an impossible team. This duo would make sure that there wouldn´t be anything left of the harmony inside the team! This idea seems purely speculation and I don´t think this has anything to do with the reality. So no matter how frustrated Alonso feels I believe Red Bull would be the utterly last choice for the Spaniard!
And the final question: could Kimi actually go back to Ferrari?
I really don´t believe that Alonso is going anywhere but Massa´s seat is a whole different question. So far Massa´s results haven´t been impressive: too many personal mistakes this year. But if Red Bull doesn´t get Kimi, could the Finn decide to go back to Ferrari? For a fan like me it sounds like an odd idea: who would like to go back to the team that resigned you in spite of the contract just to get another driver to the team? But Kimi is a guy who doesn´t care what other people think of him. And he doesn´t have bad memories of working with Ferrari, so he has said. Kimi got along extremely well with everybody else except Di Montezemolo. There is an aspect that could make Ferrari a tempting choice for Kimi: they would possibly allow Kimi to participate in any motorsports activities that Kimi wants! Kimi has said that he´d love to take part in rallying at the same time as he´s involved with F1. And I think these personal interests are a high priority for Kimi.
I´ve read in the news on the F1 websites that Red Bull´s decision is to be announced during the summer break. So two more thrilling weeks to wait... Summa summarum: if Lotus manages to convince Kimi of their financial possibilities to ensure the development work around the car, Kimi will stay at Lotus. And Red Bull will make the most obvious choice and hire Ricciardo. Let´s see if I´m right or not ;)
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