Silly Season 2013/14

[djos]

Signing Kimi will mean relief and added confidence within the team - having two extremely fast and consistent world champions means a lot.

How they are gonna finance that?

Marlboro still pay a big slice of the bills.

[Gerhardsa]

I think its not so much about the money for Ferrari.
I think that unless Ferrari is 100% sure Nando is staying, they will have already signed Kimi.
Can they really afford to be without any of the 5 WDC on the grid? I think that is very important to Ferrari.
And if you can have 2 of the 5 WDC...why not?
Especially at the start of a new Era in F1

[timbo]

Signing Kimi will mean relief and added confidence within the team - having two extremely fast and consistent world champions means a lot.

How they are gonna finance that?

Marlboro still pay a big slice of the bills.

With a Wroom cancellation and inevitable expenses for a new engine development I think it's not that simple.
Also, how good is the link with Santander? Would they still get Spanish money if Alonso bails out?

[raymondu999]

Also, how good is the link with Santander? Would they still get Spanish money if Alonso bails out?

Santander stuck with McLaren when Alonso left. Perhaps the same deal applies to Ferrari?

[timbo]

Also, how good is the link with Santander? Would they still get Spanish money if Alonso bails out?

Santander stuck with McLaren when Alonso left. Perhaps the same deal applies to Ferrari?

I'm not sure Santander would stick with three teams. AFAIK it needed McLaren for promotions specifically for UK, and Alonso is a direct Spanish link, so I'm not sure Ferrari on its own fits into these relationships. Of course that's all IMHO.

[Kiril Varbanov]

The Wroom event was stupid anyway, IMHO.

Santander stayed with Mclaren because they have achieved enormous growth in UK. Imagine Kimi, arguably the driver with the largest fan base world-wide, signing Ferrari. Would Santander want that? Sure, this is a gold mine.

There's another problem, and it is with the fans, or at least that's the way I see it: the spirit is out of the bottle, and if they don't get Kimi, tifosi will be simply mad. This, of course, doesn't bode well for the atmosphere in the team. Hence, if I had to take decisions right now, I'm signing Kimi at any price, even if that means fixed as opposed to performance clause (result-based salary).

[timbo]

There's another problem, and it is with the fans, or at least that's the way I see it: the spirit is out of the bottle, and if they don't get Kimi, tifosi will be simply mad.

I'm not sure tifosi's are that into Kimi honestly. The team needs to up its game anyway, with or without Kimi. If it doesn't happen Kimi is not of any help.

[Kiril Varbanov]

There's another problem, and it is with the fans, or at least that's the way I see it: the spirit is out of the bottle, and if they don't get Kimi, tifosi will be simply mad.

I'm not sure tifosi's are that into Kimi honestly. The team needs to up its game anyway, with or without Kimi. If it doesn't happen Kimi is not of any help.

I'm, obviously, on the other side when Kimi is concerned, but I agree with the team part.
Boulier: There's no point in busting the bank to keep Kimi Raikkonen next year - http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/109341

Which translated means - if he wants more, that's fine, but we don't have enough.

There could be last one try between RBR and Kimi, according to Tony Jardine - http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/s ... e-for-kimi

[lio007]

according to Dr. Marko, there will be NO pronouncements at Spa.
http://www.formel1.de/news/news/2013-08 ... abe-in-spa

[Juzh]

This silly season is really going into overdrive currently.

[CBeck113]

I HAVE EVIDENCE THAT RICCIARDO WILL BE FOLLOWING WEBBER:
http://t.co/TqMY0TrJ8f

Twitter already knows!

Edit: Link should work now....I hope!

[taperoo2k]

I will be surprised to see Kimi at Ferrari

I just cannot see it happening

Stranger things have happened in F1. Money talks. Money is something Kimi appears interested in.
If Ferrari dangle a big enough carrot he'll probably take it, regardless of what's gone on before.

people really are going to carry on slagging Vettel unless he gets a top flight teammate,

Michael Schumacher never had a top flight teammate at Ferrari and he is treated as the second coming of Christ.

Here in New England, there is a generations old rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Yankee fans, quite rightly, claim "it is all about the (championship) rings." And they have a point. If you are a multiple World Driving Champion, that pretty much settles it. If Vettel goes 4 for 4, he is going down in racing history as one of the great drivers, whether his success is due primarily to Adrian Newey's genius or not.

Get over it. Deal with it. And move on!

Difference is Schumacher had rivals in cars that were as good as the cars he drove most of the time. He also helped Ferrari relearn it's winning ways. Something it had not done since the 1970's.
As far as Vettel goes ? He's a talented driver, but to say he's the greatest ever because he's won 3 World Championships on the trot and maybe 4 ? That's ignores the luck he's had and the many mistakes he's made and the absolute dominance of Red Bull. I want to see him face Alonso and co in cars that are of a similar performance and then we'll find out how good he is. If he's learned from his mistakes and can handle pressure far better than he has done i.e. crashing on the first lap of Brazil last year and very nearly being out of the race or cracking under pressure from Button in Canada. I don't dislike Vettel, I just want to see him pushed all the way. As I want to see Lewis and Alonso pushed. Because it means we get better racing as a result.

[SectorOne]

He also helped Ferrari relearn it's winning ways.

Quote of the century.

[sennafan24]

but to say he's the greatest ever because he's won 3 World Championships on the trot and maybe 4

I do not think anyone would argue that Vettel is the "greatest ever"

The argument among more reasonable people is usually to what extent his "greatness" is, it is a highly debatable topic. I am probably considered to be a Vettel skeptic, but "many mistakes" is a bit strong, he rarely makes many mistakes these days, costly ones anyway.

On topic - Eddie Jordan saying Riccardo is going to RB and Kimi wants in at Ferrari is good enough for me, given Jordan's recent form it may as well be gospel.

[banibhusan]

He's a talented driver, but to say he's the greatest ever because he's won 3 World Championships on the trot and maybe 4 ? That's ignores the luck he's had and the many mistakes he's made and the absolute dominance of Red Bull. I want to see him face Alonso and co in cars that are of a similar performance and then we'll find out how good he is.

Schumacher also had the same luck, he also made some terrible mistakes and the Ferrari in that also dominated for most of the time. Yet I wonder why he is considered as one of the greatest and Vettel isn't. At least Vettel hasn't done a 1994 or 1997 and yet managed to win 3 WDC on the trot.

And as per your next point, Micheal never had a team mate as good as Alonso to prove he was the best. Yet Micheal is regarded as the greatest by many while Vettel isn't.

And last but not the least, people say Vettel won because he was driving Newey cars. So what? Micheal was also driving some of the best Ferraris designed by some of the best engineers of all time. Rory was no slouch. The same Ferraris that beat the Newey designed McLarens for so many years.

Just like Micheal had series competition in 2003, Vettel also had competition in 2010 and 2012. He made mistakes and I agree to that but very rarely you'll see him making the same mistakes again. That's the sign of a champion. You can't expect him to be flawless when Micheal after winning 7 WDCs couldn't be. He is still young and becoming better and better every year. Just like someone else already said, "get over it, live with it and move on".

Edit: The same old "How good Vettel is?" story!! Richard, you may do the honors before anyone else adds fuel to the fire.