Raikkonen to Red Bull in 2014?

[iceman1]

Edd Straw says Kimi is by far the best qualified of the contenders for the Red Bull seat in 2014. Will it happen?

I hope not, I am not a fan of the energy drink company really.

[Treacle]

I'm not sure what I want.
On one hand it would be great to see one of the current grid's best driver in the same car with Vettel. That way Vettel's true qualities could show. If he can't match Kimi's pace then he really had the best car for years. If he can match Kimi's pace, then even the most skeptical (hello, mikhailv) would have to admit his talent.
On the other hand I really don't like the big hype around Kimi. Everything he says ends up on a T-shirt and he is being glorified for how he acts. He is a great driver, but he is not sacrosanct.

[mikhailv]

Thing is, it would just be a d**k slap in the face to Ricciardo and Vergne. For a start, Vettel was a BMW primary driver with some Redbull sponsorship. Webber and Coulthard were renouned veterans.

Klien, Liuzzi, Speed, Alguesari, Kinder Bueno, Ricciardo and Vergne are all RBR Development drivers in STR who aren't considered. Ontop of those you have Neel Jani, Brendan Hartley, Coletti, Juncadella, Vernay and Wickens who never graduated. RBRs academy has actually never yielded anything. and now they are electing to choose an already-established driver?

No wonder they dont want STR. They have done anything except piss hundreds of millions into the wind really.

[Treacle]

But if you were in RBR's shoes and you could get Raikkonen... Would you still choose Ricciardo or Vergne? I don't buy that.

[mikhailv]

Treacle, Kimi would lose to Vettel. Kimi doesn't have the commitment Vettel has, and Kimi is stupid in race situations since his return to F1. You have to believe in drivers for the future not just a year or 2.

They need a Vettel replacement. Not someone with a year or so left in him if he is bothered.

[Treacle]

Treacle, Kimi would lose to Vettel. Kimi doesn't have the commitment Vettel has, and Kimi is stupid in race situations since his return to F1. You have to believe in drivers for the future not just a year or 2.

They need a Vettel replacement. Not someone with a year or so left in him if he is bothered.

Why would they need a Vettel replacement? His contract is valid till 2016. (I know, contracts can be broken, but that is a moot point right now.) And who's to say there won't be a Vettel replacement in a year or two, when he leaves?
Ricciardo is not bad, neither is Vergne. But they will be there even in a year or two. If RBR see potential in them they won't sack them (even though I believe Alguersuari had potential as well...), and the other teams don't seem as interested in them. The others have their eyes on Bianchi, Hulk, Di Resta.

[iceman1]

Treacle, Kimi would lose to Vettel. Kimi doesn't have the commitment Vettel has, and Kimi is stupid in race situations since his return to F1. You have to believe in drivers for the future not just a year or 2.

They need a Vettel replacement. Not someone with a year or so left in him if he is bothered.

Stupid? I don't think a stupid driver would score in 23 consecutive races - Since Bahrain 2012. What we should call Alonso then for not pitting in Malaysia?

Adrian Newey will have a big say in the decision. He knows Kimi pretty well from McLaren, and trusts the feedback of Webber.

I want Ricciardo to go there. Weaker team in 2014

[Ether]

Treacle, Kimi would lose to Vettel. Kimi doesn't have the commitment Vettel has, and Kimi is stupid in race situations since his return to F1. You have to believe in drivers for the future not just a year or 2.

They need a Vettel replacement. Not someone with a year or so left in him if he is bothered.

Stupid? I don't think a stupid driver would score in 23 consecutive races - Since Bahrain 2012. What we should call Alonso then for not pitting in Malaysia?

Adrian Newey will have a big say in the decision. He knows Kimi pretty well from McLaren, and trusts the feedback of Webber.

I want Ricciardo to go there. Weaker team in 2014

Well, Kimi made some stupid mistake, yes. But I don't think he is stupid though.. But I agree he will lose to Vettel. All mikhailv said is correct, and I believe THAT IS WHAT RED BULL NEED for Vettel another replacement of a better "Webber"
Kimi is much better than Webber of course, that would push Vettel to the limit and give him some frustration

Look how frustrated Vettel when asked about Kimi is going to be his teammate next year? He suddenly claims that not sure that Kimi is the right teammate for him I sense fear and frustration here

[naiego]

Treacle, Kimi would lose to Vettel. Kimi doesn't have the commitment Vettel has, and Kimi is stupid in race situations since his return to F1. You have to believe in drivers for the future not just a year or 2.

Provided that they'll be in F1 in the future, I have a feeling that their presence in F1 has an expiration date...not a very distant one

[phil1993]

'Kimi not committed'

*Bangs head repeatedly*

[mikhailv]

Treacle, Kimi would lose to Vettel. Kimi doesn't have the commitment Vettel has, and Kimi is stupid in race situations since his return to F1. You have to believe in drivers for the future not just a year or 2.

They need a Vettel replacement. Not someone with a year or so left in him if he is bothered.

Why would they need a Vettel replacement? His contract is valid till 2016. (I know, contracts can be broken, but that is a moot point right now.) And who's to say there won't be a Vettel replacement in a year or two, when he leaves?
Ricciardo is not bad, neither is Vergne. But they will be there even in a year or two. If RBR see potential in them they won't sack them (even though I believe Alguersuari had potential as well...), and the other teams don't seem as interested in them. The others have their eyes on Bianchi, Hulk, Di Resta.

Unconfirmed. Vettels future is at Ferrari. And pur-lease dude, Di Resta is on nobodies Radar. he is rubbish. Mclaren chose PEREZ over even sniffing at Invisibleresta.

[mikhailv]

Treacle, Kimi would lose to Vettel. Kimi doesn't have the commitment Vettel has, and Kimi is stupid in race situations since his return to F1. You have to believe in drivers for the future not just a year or 2.

They need a Vettel replacement. Not someone with a year or so left in him if he is bothered.

Stupid? I don't think a stupid driver would score in 23 consecutive races - Since Bahrain 2012. What we should call Alonso then for not pitting in Malaysia?

Adrian Newey will have a big say in the decision. He knows Kimi pretty well from McLaren, and trusts the feedback of Webber.

I want Ricciardo to go there. Weaker team in 2014

Because Monaco and China wasn't stupid on Kimi's part this year? Because kimi scoring in Monaco wasn't mostly down to Bottas waving him through, yeah? Kimi has made stupid mistakes. Doesn't mean he finishes outside the points. He bottled it in Bahrain last year when there was a bus and a halfs gap left by Vettel. Alonso in malaysia wasn't just stupid. t*** is a much more relevant term though.

[mikhailv]

'Kimi not committed'

*Bangs head repeatedly*

Read what I put. 'Kimi doesn't have the commitment of Vettel'. You tell me im wrong. Theres a difference between saying 'he isn't committed' which means he isnt bothered in the slightest and 'isnt as committed as Vettel' which is a direct comparison to another driver. Very big difference there Phil.

Kimi isn't committed enough to beat Vettel. Vettel would be there till midnight to find a way, to scour through data, to solve his problems immediately, to continually work with the team tirelessly. Kimi doesn't do that. Which means he isn't committed enough to beat Vettel. My statement is not wrong.

The only way to beat Vettel in the same car, is be consistently better and be as committed to delving in depth with the car, to make changes and to scour data at the same level as Vettel. The only people who can do that are Alonso and Hamilton. Kimi doesn't have the interest to do that. He doesnt live and breathe Formula 1 and invests his whole life into it. That will always be his downside and why he will never beat Alonso, Vettel or Hamilton in a championship 1 on 1 in the same car, because he doesnt have the same mindset.

Is that a criticism? He wants a life outside and see's it as a job. No problem in that. But without such high levels of commitment and investing in your career, you wont be as successful as others named above.

[phil1993]

Ah, I see.

I blame jet-lag, I mis-read that.

[Treacle]

Unconfirmed. Vettels future is at Ferrari. And pur-lease dude, Di Resta is on nobodies Radar. he is rubbish. Mclaren chose PEREZ over even sniffing at Invisibleresta.

Yes, his future might be at Ferrari, but only after Alonso has left. And I don't think he will leave in the foreseeable future (read 2014-2015).
Also, I've never said Di Resta is better than the STR boys. But when McLaren was looking for another driver they never showed any interest neither in Ricciardo, nor in Vergne. However I recall several articles where they mentioned Di Resta as an option. And I don't see Ferrari being interested in them either, when they have Hulk and Bianchi on their radar.