Half of Ferrari’s 2018 team is confirmed, the other half less so…
Ferrari’s re-signing of Kimi Räikkönen for one more year inevitably fuels speculation of why Sebastian Vettel has not also been announced.
It could just be as innocent as the final dotting of ‘i’s and crossing of ‘t’s of Vettel’s new contract have not been agreed yet and that the confirmation will come at Monza. There are at least three other possibilities however.
Whichever of the four possibilities, Ferrari need to re-sign Räikkönen. If Vettel is staying, Räikkönen is his preferred choice of team-mate and the dynamic between them, with Räikkönen there to do a very solid support role to Vettel’s title-chasing campaign, works well. The ‘title chaser with support’ model can be very effective (see the Schumacher years) but can be difficult to manage (see the Schumacher years). Räikkönen’s calm demeanour and wily old hand outlook means there’s no one better for this role.
If Vettel leaves, Ferrari needs at least one driver to stay the same for the sake of continuity. Having a reference point of feedback and data is incredibly important to teams as they go from one season to the next. So if Vettel leaves, Räikkönen is needed.
Räikkönen is therefore needed either way. We await developments with fascination.
From farm to Formula 1: Jeremy Clarkson has suggested that some of this year's Diddly Squat harvest could end up as components on grand prix cars
It's always tough to step into a grand prix car at short notice, here are just a few of the occasions that replacement Formula 1 drivers have had limited time to make their mark
With one practice session and a 0.3sec target, Mark Hughes asks if his Dutch GP outing could be Lawson's redemption or merely a convenient stopgap for Red Bull
Lawson is back in Red Bull colours at Zandvoort, but with Verstappen's seat locked down until 2030 and Hadjar's own looking secure, one good weekend won't change much for his future
