Kimi Räikkönen or the Choice of a King

Kimi Räikkönen’s transfer is still topical at Interlagos, which surely won’t surprise you. The 2007 world champion is at the center of all discussions in the paddocks. Some teams would like him to make a decision before Abu Dhabi, as they want to announce their drivers for 2010 at the last Grand Prix. That doesn’t seem so simple.

The Scuderia driver stated a month ago that he was not in a hurry to choose his next team, but that’s not really the reality. His choice is clear to everyone, and it’s quite simple. He wants a car to win, and you don’t need to be an engineer to determine which teams are most likely to design a car capable of winning from the start of the 2010 season. Red Bull and Brawn GP are the two most advanced teams this season, confident they won’t fall back next year. Then, McLaren has made significant efforts to return to the forefront and is working very hard in Woking on the new car. However, given the current situation between McLaren and Mercedes, Kimi Räikkönen’s transfer will inevitably be delayed.

The rumor sending him to Red Bull resurfaces today, as the team’s choice regarding its future engine supplier could have an influence. The transfer of the Ferrari driver in place of Mark Webber emerged in Japan when Kimi Räikkönen’s agent lit the fuse by announcing: “There are interested teams, which one would not even dare to believe are looking for drivers.” This made everyone understand who it was about, but later he stated, “Kimi will not go to Red Bull, as the Australian driver has a contract.”

However, nothing is settled yet and even Mark Webber shared his point of view this Saturday at Interlagos: Red Bull would be an ideal solution for him. But I am confident in the contract that has been signed and if things change, then let them change. It’s normal for there to be some fun and games in Formula 1.

As for Brawn GP, it’s hard to imagine Ross Brawn telling Jenson Button that he has to pack his bags, especially if he becomes world champion. It would be too cruel for the Englishman who believed in the team when they weren’t even sure they’d be on the grid at the start of the season. Nico Rosberg is a priority for Brawn GP, but if Mercedes pays the Finnish driver’s salary, it’s a whole different story. Who will give up their spot? Mercedes does not hide its desire to buy Nico Rosberg and Kimi Räikkönen and field them together one day.

Finally, let’s finish with McLaren. Since Suzuka, the Finnish driver has been spending most of his time with McLaren-Mercedes. All the observers were saying that the deal was done, that it was only a matter of money and fairness between the drivers, but several issues arise with the Greys. The first is that Lewis Hamilton doesn’t view favorably being paired with Kimi Räikkönen. The second is that Mercedes is in the middle of a divorce with McLaren, which complicates things for acquiring the Ferrari driver. McLaren fears that Mercedes will buy Iceman to field him wherever they please. Moreover, McLaren has vetoed Mercedes from selling its engine to Red Bull, as if on intuition…

Then today, Martin Whitmarsh revealed that McLaren is unlikely to address the question of Lewis Hamilton’s teammate for 2010 until the current season has ended. This does not make it easy for the other teams who want to announce their two drivers at the last race. The team admitted that the decision is unlikely to happen in Brazil this weekend, or even before the checkered flag at the finale in Abu Dhabi in two weeks.

We have two ambitious young drivers in our team and we will focus on our race to achieve the best result we can here and in Abu Dhabi and enjoy it. The team wants to plan for the future, and when we have something to announce, we will announce it, but here we remain loyal to the two racing drivers we have. Explains Whitmarsh. We are really focusing in Woking on the development of the car, which is entirely new with a very aggressive engineering program. We intend to start the season at a high level compared to 2009. That is the priority, and in the meantime, we will see what we can do in these two races. We will focus on other matters after the season now.

Considering all the information above, the other teams as well as the fan-f1 fans know what they have to do… Wait!