[Driver] The Raikkonen Supremacy

[ottostreet]

External link to full article on FormulaSpy.com

Kimi Raikkonen might be the perfect man to replace Mark Webber for next season, but he could also be the man to ruin Red Bull.

It's almost inconceivable now to think that, in mid 2011, it was considered very risky to even think about hiring Kimi Raikkonen. Flashes of speed in WRC, mixed with plenty of crashes and incidents, as well as a departure from F1 that saw the Finn slink away from the sport with his tail between his legs, didn't inspire a lot of confidence. After Massa's accident at the Hungaroring in 2009, Kimi came to life to score more points than anyone else but Lewis Hamilton in the second half of the season, but at Abu Dhabi, Kimi finished outside the points, and that was that. The F1 career of the 2007 champion was over within two years, as far as most people were concerned.

Whatever the reasons for Raikkonen being driven from the sport, whether they be political, performance, motivation, or even possible mental fatigue, the two year break from the sport has done him the world of good. Returning with Lotus (who must be commended for taking a risk on him, champion or not), he has won two Grand Prixs, numerous podiums, and looks every inch the formidable behemoth of the sport that he was for many years.

So much so, that he now has the option to drive for the most successful team of the last few years. His days at McLaren & Ferrari may be quite a while ago now, but he is being offered the chance to drive for the team that can deliver him championships again. It would be pointless to even hazard a guess at what Kimi might do at this point, without a contract in F1, as the Finn has a habit of doing whatever isn't expected of him. For all we know at ths point, he is as likely to be enter the World Kite Flying Championships as he is to be driving for Red Bull in F1 next season.

But for all his talent and speed, is he the right man to replace Mark Webber? On paper, he certainly appears to be so. As we saw last time out, at the Nurburgring, he is challenging Sebastian Vettel for race wins, and this is while he is driving an arguably inferior car. Surely then, if the two can finish 1-2 while driving for different teams, they can do so while driving for Red Bull? As long as the car remains fast after the regulation changes, easy championships await, with two of the very best drivers vying for the top spot at the head of the team, and of F1.

It's not that easy for Red Bull. The reality is that one driver must finish second. Kimi won't agree to a contract that makes him the Number 2, particularly with so few seasons left in him to win another championship. He will be the eldest driver on the grid next year (assuming Michael doesn't get bored driving Corinna and the kids around again), and while his break in 2010/2011 seems to have rejuvenated Raikkonen, it's hard to see him continuing in the sport beyond 2015/2016, if even that far. So...that gives him two to three seasons to win another title.

Now let's look across the garage at his team-mate, Mr. Vettel. Sebastian and Kimi get on well right now, as rivals at different teams, but they have not been thrown into the melting pot of inter-team rivalry yet. Sebastian has been part of the Red Bull family for years now, and has won everything there is to win with them. Assuming all things are fair and equal as team-mates, Raikkonen is one of the few drivers with the talent and mental fortitude to be able to harangue Vettel for the World Title. Should Kimi beat Sebastian, then things get very difficult for Red Bull.

It would be presumptuous and unfair to presume Sebastian would throw his toys out of the pram, but it wouldn't be unsafe to assume that Vettel would be extremely unhappy with the situation. He is only just turned 26, and is arguably only reaching his prime years now, the years where youthful exuberance and fearless speed, match harmoniously with experienced racecraft, seasoned maturity, and the ability to handle high-pressure situations as they occur. The perfect man then, to hold on, very tightly, to. The man not to annoy by, say, teaming him with a driver who is every bit as capable, but not likely to be around for very long.

Red Bull do not need Kimi Raikkonen. They want him, yes, and it would be fan-bloody-tastic to have two of the very best go head to head in the best machinery. History doesn't lend itself kindly to these situations though, and there's nothing to suggest that things might be different this time. Should Raikkonen sign for Red Bull, it's almost a certainty that the team will need to replace both Vettel & Raikkonen by the end of their contracts. Raikkonen due to retirement, and Vettel due to being completely hacked off at being matched or beaten by the Finn at 'his' team.

Behind the cheeky, personable smile on Sebastian Vettel's face, there lies the razor-sharp fangs of a hungry wolf. We occasionally catch glimpses of the fangs, glistening in the sun, and we saw them in plain view, snarling in our faces, back in Malaysia. Off-track, Vettel could be the nicest guy in the world, but it won't stop him doing his best to annihilate Kimi Raikkonen, a situation that is unlikely as long as the team remain impartial.

Also, should the team not opt for Daniel Ricciardo, it calls into question the necessity for Dr Helmut Marko's Red Bull Young Driver's Academy. After all, it has only really produced Sebastian Vettel, and, as close as Raikkonen is linked to Mateschitz's company following his WRC adventures, Kimi is not a Red Bull product. If the in-house driver development program can't produce drivers of Raikkonen/Vettel standards, then why keep it going, when they can just hire externally (a la Kimi)?

Finally, if Kimi signs, and retires within 2-3 years, and Sebastian leaves for pastures new, with no top gun lined up to head the squad, will Mateschitz lose patience? Could he pull the plug on his F1 endeavour? Red Bull signing Kimi may win them titles in the short-term, but risks costing them Sebastian, as well as potentially ruining the careers of Daniel Ricciardo & Jean-Eric Vergne. If Kimi was even five years younger, then there would be little risk in signing him, with or without Sebastian's blessing.

It's a doomsday scanerio, true, but one that is not particularly hard to envisage. Two cockerels in the hen-house doesn't work, as many top teams have discovered. But wouldn't it be great to watch them try?