F1 2014 Season: Lineup's - Rumours - News

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To choose between Lotus and Ferrari for next year is a no brainer:

  • Ferrari are a works team, Lotus are not
  • Ferrari have a bigger budget
  • Lotus are financially ****ed
  • The man responsible for Kimi's Lotus now works for Ferrari
  • Rory Byrne


It's a lot harder to choose between Red Bull and Ferrari though.

Kimi wont join Ferrari because:

  • Luca seems to have this problem in that's it's his way or the highway, a bit like Ron getting in the way. *Liability*
  • Stefano is running the team not Todt and he is nowhere in his league. *Liability*
  • Ferrari are still unable to produce decent aero data/parts no matter whose wind tunnel they use. *Major problems with staff not equipment*
  • They're getting worse not better as a team, where as Lotus are getting better every year. Ferrari are panic buying/hiring designers to save them from likely DOOM! *Inevitable collapse of the team*
  • Kimi is already permanent number 1 at Lotus. *Something which Ferrari cant and Alonso will never allow to happen*
  • New regulations coming up and 2009 showed how poor they are to get to grips with them. They couldn't even copy the EBD with all those spare millions *Historical fact*
  • Kimi would get sick of the Italian being chat about over the radio which Luca wont like since he wants to make Ferrari more Italian.
  • Rory Byrne is an old fossil and a shell of his former self just like Schumacher. *Liability* His "innovative" floor in 2012 was a big pile of crap.
  • Luca is a power hungry lunatic that is more focused on his image in the elections than hiring/keeping the (CORRECT) people.

This and they sold him down the river by firing certain key people like Todt which Kimi was close to and then replaced him later on, he wouldn't of forgot that Forza...
 
Breaking news from Turun Sanomat / Heikki Kulta:

"Kimi is not going to Red Bull", Kimi´s manager Steve Robertson has confirmed to Turun Sanomat/Heikki Kulta. "Our negotiations with Red Bull did not end up making a deal and they ended a while ago. But Kimi continues in F1 with 99,999% certainty.", Robertson says.

More to follow...


Manager Steve Robertson, confirmed on Monday that the Turun Sanomat Kimi Raikkonen for the next season, go to Red Bull's driver. Thus, even in the F1 sport's principal Bernie Ecclestone's idea of a dream pair Sebastian Vettel-Kimi Raikkonen garage kaveruksina will remain unfulfilled.

– The Negotiations with Red Bull did not lead to results, and ended some time ago, Robertson explained.

Raikkonen, however, according to Manager the F1 level 99.999% accuracy, but no contracts so far has not been made.

Raikkonen's ended up in the Red Bull Hispanialla Rossolla experience ammentaneen to magnify rather than the Toro Daniel Ricciardon next season, the Spanish Grand Prix, Le Mans-race challenges Porschelle to move from Mark Webber's replacement. the 24-year-old Ricciardo has driven 30-GP-the race and are ranked in the best fitted with the seventh this year in China.

Turun Sanomat
 
EDDIE JORDAN HAS SPOKEN


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/23761323


Kimi Raikkonen 'wants Ferrari return' claims Eddie Jordan

Kimi Raikkonen is targeting a move to Ferrari following Red Bull's decision to sign Daniel Ricciardo, BBC F1 chief analyst Eddie Jordan says.

A deal for the Finn to return to the team for whom he won the 2007 title may be announced as soon as next month's Italian Grand Prix, Jordan said.

Ferrari said the claim was "not true" and that no decision had yet been made.

Jordan added that Ricciardo, 24, had already signed to partner Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull next season.

Ricciardo's promotion from junior team Toro Rosso is to be announced at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, Jordan said.

A Red Bull spokeswoman said: "We don't have anything to announce at present but will advise when we do."

A Ferrari spokesman said the Italian team were concentrating on improving their car to boost Fernando Alonso's title challenge.

He added: "This is the exact same scenario as last year - with not only Kimi but a long list of other drivers allegedly going to Ferrari.

"At the moment our priority is produce the car for Fernando and Felipe (Massa) and a decision on the 2014 line-up will be made at the appropriate moment, which is not right now."

On Monday, Raikkonen's manager Steve Robertson told BBC Sport's chief F1 writer Andrew Benson that the 20-time grand prix winner, 33, would not be driving for Red Bull next year.

Robertson said: "Talks broke down. We haven't spoken for a little while and it's clear Kimi won't be driving for Red Bull in 2014.

"Kimi's a free agent. He still has options out there.

"There's a lot of things happening behind the scenes and I'm pretty confident he will be in F1 next year."

Asked specifically whether Ferrari were an option, he said: "Until they confirm their seats, my job is to speak to all the teams and see what's available."

Jordan said Raikkonen had made a return to Red Bull his first priority but when talks with the world champions broke down, he turned his attention to Ferrari.

He could also stay with current team Lotus for a third season.

Alonso is under contract until the end of 2016, but Ferrari are considering replacing Massa, who has had an inconsistent season.

BBC Sport understands that senior figures within the Ferrari team want Massa out and are keen for Raikkonen to return but that Ferrari president Luca Di Montezemolo is not keen on the idea.

Signing Raikkonen would be an admission they had made a mistake when they chose to end his contract a year early at the end of 2009 and pay him not to drive for them in 2010, when Alonso joined.

They preferred Massa as the Spaniard's partner, despite the Brazilian at the time recovering from a fractured skull sustained in an accident at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Although Raikkonen won the title for Ferrari in 2007, Massa outscored him throughout their time as team-mates through the following two years.

World champions Red Bull had made it clear they were choosing between Raikkonen and Ricciardo for the seat that has been made vacant for next season following Mark Webber's decision to leave F1 to drive for Porsche in sportscar racing.

Raikkonen was a known quantity and would be a choice they could guarantee would at least match the contribution Webber made to three consecutive constructors' world titles since 2010.

But Ricciardo's promotion will be a vindication for the Red Bull young driver programme, from which so far only Vettel has graduated to the senior team.

The 24-year-old is also likely to be a malleable choice who will play a support role for Vettel without the friction that developed between the German and Webber and which may well have emerged had Raikkonen, a former world champion, joined the team.

It remains to be seen whether Ricciardo has the ability to cope with the step up to the highest level of F1, and the pressure that brings.

His best result for Toro Rosso is a seventh place, although he has three times qualified sixth.
 
Sky Sports Italy commentator says Kimi to Ferrari deal is done, the only thing missing is the signature.
 
Stuff from La Gazzetta via joseuis:


  • Gazzetta: 'Montezemolo is still angry with Fernando, but the marriage has no other alternative'
  • Gazzetta echoes many thoughts in the paddock that the Mercedes power unit is 'light years' of their rivals
  • Steve Robertson (Kimi manager): "Ferrari have shown to be serious because they paid all that was owed to Kimi" (via Gazzetta)
  • According to Gazzetta, the relationship between Kimi and Domenicali is excellent. They say nothing of the relationship with Montezemolo
  • Finally in Gazzetta they say they will not know anything until Monza, but the writer does not easily see Kimi returning to Ferrari.
 
Please Luca....

James Allen said:
The BBC’s Eddie Jordan claims that the Finn wants a move back to Ferrari, and that a deal may be as soon as next month’s Italian Grand Prix. Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has not been keen on the idea of the return of a man who they released from his contract, instead deciding to partner Felipe Massa with Fernando Alonso in 2010.

But Italian newspaper Gazetta dello Sport suggested that Montezemolo would sanction the move for Raikkonen if he was the best driver available.
 
Marussia: switch to Ferrari F1 2014 engines a "huge step forward"

Marussia's switch to Ferrari engines next season represents a "huge step forward", according to sporting director Graeme Lowdon.

The team has raced with Cosworth power since joining the Formula 1 grid as Virgin at the start of 2010, but Lowden believes Ferrari engines will help it to achieve a level playing field with its rivals.

"It will be a huge step forward in terms of degree of parity compared to some of the other teams," Lowden told AUTOSPORT.

"The ideal scenario for us at our stage of development would either be maintaining the current rules or an enormous change and 2014 is the latter.

"We are confident Ferrari has made lots of the right decisions in its powertrain so we are really confident that, married with the car we have already designed, we are in a good position.

"This is the kind of step change we really need and we are quietly optimistic about the performance of the 2014 car."

The Ferrari deal includes a gearbox supply, which will free up more resources within Marussia for working on the car.


Kind of obvious that a move from Cosworth will give them a instant lap time gain but it will be interesting to see that with the major rule changes if Caterham and Marussia can join the points crew :)
 
Have Cosworth built a turbo engine for 2014 or were Marussia forced to go to someone else because they hadn't?
 
Worrying news:

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Sirotkin having a seat fitting with Sauber, hope he's not being rushed into the sport.