[Rumours] Kimi to Red Bull in 2014?

[bella]

kimi suits the red bull brand perfectly. unfortunately the f1 team increasingly doesn't, it's the polar opposite. everything below f1 still fits pretty well, there's still room for guys doing it their own way out there but in f1? if you want a team who will let you do what you want red bull probably isn't top of the list right now...

toro rosso might work though

[Bononi]

Well, Toro Rosso doesn't seem to be an option...

[Spritle]

I don't envy ANY driver who has to decide which team to drive for 2014.

With the massive changes to the formula, most notably the engines it will be anyone's guess who will be the dominant team next season. Kimi could leave the best team to join the worst, add Pirelli's to the mix and maybe Marussia is the place to be??

In any case if I was Kimi, I'd sign a one year deal with an option for more years regardless of who I signed with.

[wolfhound]

Originally Posted by Spritle

I don't envy ANY driver who has to decide which team to drive for 2014.

With the massive changes to the formula, most notably the engines it will be anyone's guess who will be the dominant team next season. Kimi could leave the best team to join the worst, add Pirelli's to the mix and maybe Marussia is the place to be??

In any case if I was Kimi, I'd sign a one year deal with an option for more years regardless of who I signed with.

Agreed but the top teams will usually be able to overcome a poor start even if it takes half a season, or at worst the following year.

[chillibowl]

i want to say age will soon become a factor but health and conditioning levels are so high now racing into your late 30's and early 40's is no longer an automatic disadvantage.

personally i hope he doesn't go to RB and would rather see him finish his career at Mclaren and win a title for them.

[Bononi]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

i want to say age will soon become a factor but health and conditioning levels are so high now racing into your late 30's and early 40's is no longer an automatic disadvantage.

personally i hope he doesn't go to RB and would rather see him finish his career at Mclaren and win a title for them.

Yeah, but drivers who are coming to F1 are younger than ever.

[JeremySmith]

Kimi will be too old..

[Born Racer]

Originally Posted by Spritle

I don't envy ANY driver who has to decide which team to drive for 2014.

I envy the lot of them.

[Razor]

If I may enter from the left field but what about Webber and Kimi join forces at Lotus with Seb having Bruno Senna as a team mate?

[Bononi]

Originally Posted by Razor

If I may enter from the left field but what about Webber and Kimi join forces at Lotus with Seb having Bruno Senna as a team mate?

I don't believe Bruno will ever be in F1 again...

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

i want to say age will soon become a factor but health and conditioning levels are so high now racing into your late 30's and early 40's is no longer an automatic disadvantage.

This intrigued me. The theory, which makes sense, doesn't fit with what we see. Average grid age is lower that it has ever been. Go back to when it was at its worse for the WC F1 and you would say late 40s early 50s was the point you may consider retiring!

[chillibowl]

now that you mention it ive given it more thought too. it is sort of one of those comments that sounds like it makes sense in light of better more modern training/conditioning techniques but is it actually what is happening?

Bon made a point about drivers younger than ever coming in. this would bring the mean value down but is that the best way to look at it? midrange or median values might shed more light.

but even if those values come out to high 20s early 30s its actually not very old at all compared to the prior era you are mentioning.

so upon reflection perhaps its more a case of perception not matching reality on my part.

[Adam43]

So is F1 a test of the physical or the mental? There is a great quote from Graham Hill if I could remember it. Something about needing to be fit, but ultimately it is in the head. He made sure he walked up stairs two at a time! Those days are a long time gone!

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by Adam43

So is F1 a test of the physical or the mental?

great question. its got to be connected right?

having the conditioning to fight of the mental/concentration effects of dehydration is the first connection i can think of so that in itself implies that the mental side is more important and the physical side is there to supplement it.

like most sports the most physical/best conditioned is not necessarily the best performer so that extra 1% or whatever must come from somewhere else.

complicating things even further, where do physical traits come into play? i have always wondered (and maybe this is crazy) if some drivers are better or have better spatial reasoning abilities because their eyes are further apart thus giving them a greater field of peripheral vision.

clearly i have too much time on my hands.

[Bononi]

I guess both need to be fit.

[wnut]

Originally Posted by Bononi

Yeah, but drivers who are coming to F1 are younger than ever.

Half of whom are kids of little talent occupying seats bought by daddy and/or his contacts.

[BSchneiderFan]

Autosport ran an article about ageing some years ago. If I remember rightly, the conclusion was that, yes, age does take its toll physically, but not until late 40s or early 50s. It was at that sort of age that Bob Wollek stopped racing prototypes because he felt they'd become too fast for him, although of course he kept racing GTs until that fateful bike ride at Sebring.

[wnut]

Originally Posted by BSchneiderFan

Autosport ran an article about ageing some years ago. If I remember rightly, the conclusion was that, yes, age does take its toll physically, but not until late 40s or early 50s. It was at that sort of age that Bob Wollek stopped racing prototypes because he felt they'd become too fast for him, although of course he kept racing GTs until that fateful bike ride at Sebring.

He was due to retire from racing after the race the next day!
Age 57.
Sad loss!

[kurski]

Former Finnish F1 commentator Jukka Mildh:Team seat might turn into a business partnership for Kimi.

A week before Hungary I was in Austria following future F1-drivers performances in Formula Renault 3.5 –serie's race. The F1-markets were more visible than in a long time.

McLaren's protégé Kevin Magnussen and Red Bull junior Antonio Felix da Costa and a few other got a lot of attention after well driven F1-tests. Toro Rosso's Jean Eric Vergne drove show performances with a F1-car and he was running back and forth on the paddock just like Helmut Marko also.

However the talks were all about Räikkönen. As far as I understand Lotus has just sealed a new sponsor contract, which should help to keep Räikkönen in the team. Still they think inside the team that the situation is difficult. They talk about an arrangement between Red Bull and Räikkönen, which will be hard to match.

My conclusion is that Räikkönen is negotiating a very long contract with Red Bull, a contract which would cover the next ten years at best. Räikkönen will surely get a decent salary for himself, but for him the most important thing is to make a partnership deal where Red Bull would be involved in everything Räikkönen does from now on.

Räikkönen would in the long run be a convenient PR-face for Red Bull, the same way Mika Häkkinen is for Mercedes-Benz. He would also have work in the Finnish motocross-team, which is in need of a famous partner's banners. Besides, knowing Räikkönen he can come up with almost anything which might interest Red Bull.

[Bononi]

Originally Posted by kurski

Former Finnish F1 commentator Jukka Mildh:Team seat might turn into a business partnership for Kimi.

A week before Hungary I was in Austria following future F1-drivers performances in Formula Renault 3.5 –serie's race. The F1-markets were more visible than in a long time.

McLaren's protégé Kevin Magnussen and Red Bull junior Antonio Felix da Costa and a few other got a lot of attention after well driven F1-tests. Toro Rosso's Jean Eric Vergne drove show performances with a F1-car and he was running back and forth on the paddock just like Helmut Marko also.

However the talks were all about Räikkönen. As far as I understand Lotus has just sealed a new sponsor contract, which should help to keep Räikkönen in the team. Still they think inside the team that the situation is difficult. They talk about an arrangement between Red Bull and Räikkönen, which will be hard to match.

My conclusion is that Räikkönen is negotiating a very long contract with Red Bull, a contract which would cover the next ten years at best. Räikkönen will surely get a decent salary for himself, but for him the most important thing is to make a partnership deal where Red Bull would be involved in everything Räikkönen does from now on.

Räikkönen would in the long run be a convenient PR-face for Red Bull, the same way Mika Häkkinen is for Mercedes-Benz. He would also have work in the Finnish motocross-team, which is in need of a famous partner's banners. Besides, knowing Räikkönen he can come up with almost anything which might interest Red Bull.

Ten years ?????? PR Face ????? Are you talking about the "old" Raikkonen ????

[garcon]

We all grow up eventually, even Kimi.

[Bononi]

Originally Posted by garcon

We all grow up eventually, even Kimi.

I'm not sure about that...

[PepsiVodka]

In a world where RBR would want a different number 1 driver then they would hired Kimi in a heartbeat. But in this world Kimi would just create too much competition against Vettel.

[F1Pete]

Something tells me he will stick with Lotus. The new partnership will help seal the deal.

[Bononi]

I think he'll stay. RBR already has his golden boy.