Usually, it's Felipe Massa driving to keep his seat but this year the tables have been switched. Of course Massa isn't safe either, and there is the possibility of both long term men leaving the team, opening an unprecedented two driver vacancy search. And of course there is one man on everyone's mind for at least one roll.
Kimi Raikkonen may or may not have lost the Red Bull drive, he may have turned it down or Red Bull may be looking for a long term deal with Daniel Ricciardo. I'm not so glad Kimi missed out on this opportunity. Raikkonen's problems stem from bad Saturday performances in the Lotus, so if the chance comes when you can drive the best Saturday car on the grid, would you not take it?
As I said, it may have been out of Raikkonen's hands. The one thing I don't buy is this term; 'longevity.' It doesn't matter if you want to look to book a long term option, offer a longer contract then. It's easy to secure new drivers, we're always complaining about the vast number of young talent coming through. Plus (for example), if you could have Raikkonen for two years and then someone like Jules Bianchi for the future, surely that would be better than hiring Bianchi outright.
It's not that I'm annoyed at Ricciardo getting the Red Bull seat, at the end of the day that's what Toro Rosso is there for. It would just have been better for Kimi to have a better qualifying car which would knock Vettel off that smug perch of his.
I think for the sole reason of the Saturday, Kimi should definitely make the move to Ferrari. I know it's not exactly a pole sitter but it's better than fighting to get in to Q3.
Fernando Alonso hasn't exactly had the most successful time at Ferrari. Yes he's won races but that's not enough when you're driving for the most successful team in F1 history. You need to win World Championship's. Kimi Raikkonen was the last man to win a World Championship at Ferrari. Vise versa, Alonso was the last man to win a World Championship at Enstone, makes sense to return them both back to whence they came.
I know everyone keeps going on about the relaxed atmosphere at Enstone and how beneficial it is for Kimi but look what it has done for him, they let James Allison go, resulting in a Grand Prix winning car slipping down the grid. That's even more reason for Kimi to return home, he'll be reunited with James Allison for the all important 2014 regulation changing season.
Whether he's partnered with Massa, Alonso or even Nico Hulkenberg, The Iceman needs to think about how long he has left in the sport. As much as it pains me to say, he is getting on a bit. Maybe Lotus's plans go beyond Kimi's limit in the sport.
The only scenario I wouldn't like to see is an Alonso-Raikkonen pairing. That cannot and won't work. It would be too volatile and would only aid Adrian Newey's dominance.
It wouldn't surprise me to see Kimi sign on for a couple more years at Lotus, but it would disappoint me to see him make the same mistake twice. But Kimi Raikkonen is no ordinary driver, he knows what is best for him, and the teams are tripping over each other to sign him. He holds the key to winning the title again. Let's hope he unlocks the red door.
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