Kimi to Ferrari confirmed

[Morte66]

On top of that, who would have you chosen to replace Kimi? As much as I think he's well past his prime, it's not like Grosjean, Sainz, Pérez or Bottas look like they're WDCs in the making (although I think Sainz is rather underrated). There's no guarantee that any of those would do any better.

I agree. Even if Ferrari think one of those is better, they probably don't think they're a lot better, and they're under contract, and meanwhile Raikonnen is the "bird in the hand worth two in the bush". I think Ferrari will continue to keep their eyes open, and maybe take Sainz/Pérez to dinner a couple of times.

Now if Redbull hadn't locked in Max V, they'd have been all over that.

[AndyL]

According to the championship standings, Kimi is the 3rd best guy on the grid so I guess Ferrari made an OK choice

[Nitrodaze]

On top of that, who would have you chosen to replace Kimi? As much as I think he's well past his prime, it's not like Grosjean, Sainz, Pérez or Bottas look like they're WDCs in the making (although I think Sainz is rather underrated). There's no guarantee that any of those would do any better.

I think Sainz has more potential of everyone on that list, to grow into a WDC contender within 2 seasons. A Sainz signing would have been very popular. Given the chance, l think he would have been very motivated to match Verstapenn's performances in the Redbull to prove his worth. He definitely would have matched or better Kimi's current performance.

I also think that a signing of Grojean, Peres or Bottas would have kick started the next phase of their individual development. I think they would have approached their signing as a once in a lifetime opportunity. The corresponding motivation factor of the opportunity would have produced performances equivalent of higher than Kimi's current perfomance.

I can see Ferrari wanting some level of stability in the team while they attempt to get on top of their lack of competitiveness relative to the Mercedes. Otherwise, kimi was more or less one foot out of the door.

Kimi is unlikely to win a WDC if Vettel is on his game. He has not been able to challenge Vettel properly. Any of these hungry guys listed would definitely give Vettel some proper competition. That said, rookies can be very expensive as the crash more easily than more experienced drivers. Perez is the only one on the list shining at the moment. Bottas has been very ordinary in recent races and mostly this year. But that is mostly to do with the poor Williams car than personal ability. Grojean had a brilliant start to the season but has been quite ordinary since.

The real question for Ferrari was, can any of these guys beat Vettel in a straight fight? Or at least be good enough to match him to produce regular one two [or consecutive] finishes. At this point in time, the answer would probably be no. Even Kimi is struggling to do that. He has only looked respectable because Vettel is having car problems like Hamilton.
I can see how Ferrari would want to wait as least one more year to make this decision. Just to give them a little more time to have a look at the prospective candidates before making that decision. This could also mean that Ferrari have their eyes on Hamilton for the 2018 season, when they expect to have the car to dominate the grid.

[Mia 01]

The top management in Ferrari Thinks only Hamilton is better than Kimi (I don´t agree). Hamilton is only free at the end of 2018.

With the new regulation, next year it could be Kimis year.

[driveace]

But your not a Hamilton fan Mia !
So sure you don't agree!
SO do you think if both were in Ferrari,s Rosberg could wipe the floor with Kimi ?
Or shall I answer for you ?

[Mia 01]

If you lot got the answer, please be so kind.

[driveace]

Kimi would be top !
He is better than Rosberg
You say Kiitos ?

[jens]

In my book Pérez would have been a good signing by Ferrari. He has driven pretty well the last couple of years and beaten the highly regarded Hülkenberg.

Räikkönen has driven better this year than he did in 2014 or 2015, but he turns 37 years old this year and frankly Ferrari would be wise to look to the future. Nowadays Kimi gives a vibe of being another Coulthard, Barrichello, Webber, etc guys. Just hangs onto a top seat as a solid #2.

[Nitrodaze]

In my book Pérez would have been a good signing by Ferrari. He has driven pretty well the last couple of years and beaten the highly regarded Hülkenberg.

Räikkönen has driven better this year than he did in 2014 or 2015, but he turns 37 years old this year and frankly Ferrari would be wise to look to the future. Nowadays Kimi gives a vibe of being another Coulthard, Barrichello, Webber, etc guys. Just hangs onto a top seat as a solid #2.

I agree Jens, Peres is the safer bet out of the available drivers; which include Rosberg by the way. Sainz in a better long term gamble, but Ferrari do not have a history of developing drivers from a number 2 positon into a number 1 driver position. Traditionally, Ferrari only invest in sure things. That is a driver with well established credentials to perform at the level that they want.

The way Rosberg's 2016 year has gone so far, l don't think Ferrari would be interested in him. As far as Hamilton goes, he fits the bill of what Ferrari would be very interested in. You can see why, can't you; one is to remove him as a competitor. The other is to use his skill to make life difficult for drivers in other cars. Apart from having 2 multiple world champions in the stable, Ferrari would be [certainly] guaranteed to dominate the grid for a number of years with a Vettel/Hamilton lineup; if they can get on top on their current performance deficits.

I think it would be a very troublesome lineup having two of the finest and most successful F1 drivers in this era in the same team. Arrivabene would lose all his hair in the first season alone. But it would make for a truely exciting spectacle for the fans and it would be great for F1. Bernie would definitely love it.

[Tazio]

With the new regulation, next year it could be Kimis year.

Mia, I think the 2017 regulations fit Kimi well also; with a larger contact patch, more down force, and especially power. I could see Kimi enhanced next year, but also Seb, Fred, and The Boss; as well as some young guys like Sainz, Max add infinite. Good on Kimi I think this formula is "his trajectory" friendly!