Post
by Boudica » 18 Jul 2010, 09:03
I dont know perhaps it is just me but I wouldn't want Kimi to drive for Red Bull F1. It is obvious that Vettel is the preferred one in the team, it is much like the situation between Kimi, Massa and Ferrari the last two years. The fact is when one driver is the preferred choice it becomes extremely difficult for the other driver, F1 is afterall a team sport. Red Bull have invested a lot in Vettel, and it seems like they are determined for that investment to pay off. My guess is even if Webber does leave the team somehow, they might just replace him with someone like Buemi, who can be a clear second driver for Vettel. Dont get me wrong I dont think Webber is totally blameless, washing your dirty laundry in public in F1 is never a good idea in the long run. And my prediction is that eventhough they are humouring Webber in public, he is going to pay for this. In a driver - team relationship a team has all the power, right now public sympathy lies with Webber because he was mistreated and he still triumphed, people always love stories like that. But what happens after three or four races when Webber isn't winning anymore? Things can go wrong so quickly, it is so easy for a team to adjust tyre pressures, have leaking hydrolic fluid, reset the gearbox, wrong gear ratio's ext. ext. Now I am not saying that Red Bull will do any of these stuff, I am just pointing out that a driver is at the mercy of his team. And the team can do many things without the public ever finding out, and F1 is a dirty business sometimes, and for the most part F1 fans are so gullible they will just blame the driver for being too slow. Webber speaking out like that in public is therefore not very clever for himself in the long run. But on the otherhand, Heikki last year kept quiet and he was still dumped by the team. The problem is if a driver is in this situation there isn't much he can do, the only solution is properly to leave the team at the end of the day.
That being said if Red Bull somehow loses the championships this year there will properly be hell to pay and they could even make Webber the scapegoat, because as long as they believe that Vettel is something special they will do everything that they can for him, and even if they do find him a new teammate it will not change the situation.
When it comes to the Kimi - Red Bull relationship I think they want him in WRC, one could even say that they need him in WRC. Because there is no other WRC driver that will give them the same amount of publicity, they have had Loeb for years and he cant do it. On top of that they now also have to compete against Monster, and Monster have Ken Block who is a popular personality. So I think they actually need Kimi in WRC, who cares if he is winning or not as long as he draws the crowds and media interest, which is something that Kimi has proven he can definitely do. Red Bull's main concern at the end of the day is advertising afterall.
As for Kimi I think it has been obvious for a while that he is staying in WRC. And I can understand why, he is trying out a completely new challenge and gets much more respect in WRC all around. It is true that WRC have their own problems, but it is very much the same with F1. It is not to say that Kimi will be winning when he goes back to F1, there are always so many factors that must fall into place for a driver to actually win. I see some people are concerned with Kimi's future status in Citroen. But I dont think that would be a problem because of Kimi's popularity and for the fact that Red Bull are investing in him. Loeb isn't going to drive forever there is lots of retirement talk surrounding him. I think if Kimi is really on pace with Ogier, they wouldn't hold him back and Red Bull would also properly have a lot of say in the situation. Interestingly enough I have read some rumours on some rally forums that Citroen are already thinking of placing Kimi above Ogier, so it is interesting that Ogier is flirting with Ford.
Kimi is taking on a very unique challenge, rally is properly the most difficult form of motorsport. Sure currently he isn't winning, but he is very much a novice it is obvious that he can only improve with a bit of experience and time. In fact I predict that he will be on the pace of the front runners in 1 - 2 years. So yes he might be losing out on the rest of his F1 career, but he is in the process of becoming a real motorsport legend.
. For next year I choose to race in mumble mumble mumble!"
