For Webber, the Alonso/Räikkönen duo will prepare the ground for Vettel
Asked about Kimi Räikkönen's recent transfer to Ferrari, Mark Webber turned into an analyst by suggesting that Ferrari was taking a gamble on an aggressive strategy, both to reignite the team's success and to welcome Sebastian Vettel under favorable conditions in 2016.
The arrival of Kimi Räikkönen at Ferrari, to team up with Fernando Alonso, is one of the most significant transfers in Formula 1 over the last five years. The Scuderia will, for the first time since 1953 and 1954—with Giuseppe Farina, champion in 1950, and Alberto Ascari, champion in 1952 and 1953—bring together two world champions within its ranks, for what many observers proclaim as the best driver duo on the grid.
If some are already projecting themselves onto the 2014 season and eagerly await the internal struggle between the Finn and the Spaniard, Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel’s teammate at Red Bull, goes even further and looks towards 2016.
The Australian, as a keen analyst of a discipline he knows very well, in an interview with Sky Sports, discussed Iceman’s transfer and its short-, medium-, and long-term consequences: « For many reasons, Ferrari needs to win again in Formula 1. This has to happen, so it’s the first step forward for them to bring the team back. The constructors’ title is important. Ferrari is going to win that and then the drivers’ championship as well. So, these two things will happen together. »
Webber’s friendship with Alonso is well established. Moreover, the future Porsche driver in Endurance believes that Räikkönen’s arrival is also a way to provoke the double world champion: « They need Fernando to feel the pressure. He needs to be shaken up on Saturday afternoons to place the car higher on the grid. The car is phenomenal at the start and has other strengths, which is why they believe there is an inherent weakness in qualifying, obviously. Fernando, on a single lap, needs to be pushed, and having Kimi by his side will help him on Saturdays. »
According to Webber, even if there is a risk for the Scuderia, the intention is clear for 2016: There are so many reasons why it’s somewhat of a gamble to help Ferrari. You know, they will each have two years, actually, I think. And after that, what they’ll do is get Seb [Vettel, editor’s note] to Red Bull and continue moving forward from there. It’s a very short-term aggressive strategy by Ferrari to place the team at the top.
So, Sebastian Vettel in red in 2016? Time will tell…
