Bring on 2014: Raikkonen Returns To Scuderia

While the V6 engines may not be the most awaited element in next years’ championship, Raikkonen’s return to the Scuderia certainly is. Yes, it will be ‘Fire & Ice’ at Ferrari – literally!

Ferrari’s decision to have two number-one drivers does seem bold, and very un-Ferrari like. After all, since 1996, they’ve had a designated number-one driver, and with this philosophy they’ve clinched 6 Drivers’ Championship and 8 Constructors’ Championship titles since. And this doesn’t include Massa’s near-win in 2008.

The Alonso-Raikkonen pair has been hired with an eye on the 2014 Constructors’ Championship title. Of course, they would like each driver to push the other in their respective pursuit of the Drivers’ Championship – that would be the icing on the cake. From a team point of view, the Constructors’ title is crucial because that is where the money lies. And, with the new regulations in place, Ferrari would like to stoke their ‘manufacturer’ ego by beating the ‘privateer’ teams of Red Bull Racing and McLaren. This is not to say that Mercedes won’t be in contention.

This decision also indicates that Ferrari are more than willing to give their drivers a reality check if they want to, World Champion or not. They did this with their marquee drivers, Schumacher (in 2006) and Raikkonen (in 2009), and are doing it again to Alonso in 2013. And, given the talk surrounding the Alonso-Raikkonen partnership, and how Ferrari would handle it, I don’t think I’m the only one (Ricciardo too) who wants the 2014 F1 season to start right away. And I don’t think I even mind ending 2013 right away by handing Vettel and Red Bull Racing their respective (and well deserved) titles.

There are two people, possibly, who would be most disappointed by the Alonso-Raikkonen decision. First would be the Hulk himself, and the second would be me. I was hoping that Ferrari would rope in the young and promising German to partner Alonso from 2014 to gain experience before taking over as team leader in 2016 once the Spaniard retires. But, historically, Ferrari has never bothered to groom their number one driver. They’ve just put the big bucks on the table to ‘hire’ the best driver on the grid. Again, Schumacher, Raikkonen, and Alonso.

Of course, there are theories that the Alonso-Raikkonen pairing is only a short term option before Vettel decides to pursue challenges outside of Red Bull Racing and don the scarlet overalls in 2016. While contractually this would be possible, it is too farfetched a thought in my view.

Massa, on the other hand, finds himself in a bit of a pickle. Should he do what Barrichello did and go to another team? And, given that all other top team cockpits are booked, would Massa settle for a mid-field team? And more so, would other teams want to hire the Brazilian – who has been a different driver post his accident in 2009? His movements in the next few months will be most interesting.

The other option would be to do what Fisichella did. Move within the Ferrari group, drive their cars in other racing series, which I must remind you are as competitive (but just not as glamourous) as Formula 1. By doing this, he could be a part of their Le Mans challenge (battle of the no. 2s: Webber vs. Massa?), and also drive the odd F1 car during roadshows around the world. And, at least he won’t crash like Kobayashi. Plus, Ferrari’s retirement benefits are very lucrative.

The biggest loser in this could be Nico Hulkenberg, who is currently a free agent and is seeking a better (faster and well-funded) drive for next season. There are talks about him replacing Raikkonen in Lotus, but would Lotus want two relatively less experienced drivers in a technically challenging 2014 season? Would the benefit of Massa’s experience outweigh Hulkenberg’s consistent promise?

And, while the other teams are figuring out their lives for 2014, Red Bull Racing seems to be in absolute command. The 2013 titles are theirs to lose and they’ve already lined up a Vettel-Ricciardo pairing for next year, which in my view is a good way to groom a young driver. Vergne too is looking good and is not out of consideration, unlike his predecessors Buemi and Alguersuari. And I’m curious to know which driver Red Bull Racing will promote to partner Vergne.

If you thought that Pirelli has gone back to making Formula 1 boring, the driver transfers sure have kept the suspense and excitement alive. And on that note, see you at the Indian Grand Prix!