Raikkonen signs to McLaren
Discussion
Wow Kimi's going to Mclaren !!!
But there's a catch
Only if Ferrari buy him out of the Ferrari contract
http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/...
Interesting...
And if the rumours of Alonso moving to Ferrari are true, then the team ends up with three contracted drivers anyway for 2010 so someone is going to have to be paid off. On balance, you would always imagine that that would be Raikkonen considering the relationship that Massa has with the team.
I guess Ferrari might be keeping their powder dry until there has been a bit more time to assess Massa's ability to return next season though.
And if the rumours of Alonso moving to Ferrari are true, then the team ends up with three contracted drivers anyway for 2010 so someone is going to have to be paid off. On balance, you would always imagine that that would be Raikkonen considering the relationship that Massa has with the team.
I guess Ferrari might be keeping their powder dry until there has been a bit more time to assess Massa's ability to return next season though.
maybe a second tenure at mclaren will re-ignite his interest. I seem to remember a lot of talk of him loving being at ferrari having shifted from mclaren because they basically let him do what he wanted where mclaren were a bit more constraining.
It'd be great to see him in mclaren alongside LH, as imo he's still one of the best drivers out there when he's on a good day. That said, I'd sooner see Jenson and Lewis heading up Mclaren but I can't see that happening.
Quite a big ask to pay out his years salary given what he's on though, but I didn't think I'd see talk of him going back to McLaren.
It'd be great to see him in mclaren alongside LH, as imo he's still one of the best drivers out there when he's on a good day. That said, I'd sooner see Jenson and Lewis heading up Mclaren but I can't see that happening.
Quite a big ask to pay out his years salary given what he's on though, but I didn't think I'd see talk of him going back to McLaren.
It would seem that the only thing that is delaying Alonso's moving to Ferrari is the resolution of The Revenge of the Piqs. Assuming that Alonso's not implicated in that, he should be going there.
That would leave one seat. If Massa were unable to take it, wouldn't that be made available to Schumacher?
The chances of KR's staying at Ferrari have got to be tiny.
As for whether he ends up at McLaren, IINM their first choise is still Rosberg, and there's a dispute between them and M-B over whether M-B can place him at Brawn. In this, McLaren's card is that they can prevent M-B from supplying engines to Red Bull, which M-B are seeking to do because of Vettel.
That would leave one seat. If Massa were unable to take it, wouldn't that be made available to Schumacher?
The chances of KR's staying at Ferrari have got to be tiny.
As for whether he ends up at McLaren, IINM their first choise is still Rosberg, and there's a dispute between them and M-B over whether M-B can place him at Brawn. In this, McLaren's card is that they can prevent M-B from supplying engines to Red Bull, which M-B are seeking to do because of Vettel.
baz1985 said:
I've always thought the principle reason he left McLaren was the inherent unreliability of the car.
Since he left McLaren, with the exception of this season, it has been on average the best car.
That (unreliability) may have been a factor, but I think bigger factors were the money that Ferrari were offering and the McLaren corporatism. Since he left McLaren, with the exception of this season, it has been on average the best car.
flemke said:
It would seem that the only thing that is delaying Alonso's moving to Ferrari is the resolution of The Revenge of the Piqs. Assuming that Alonso's not implicated in that, he should be going there.
That would leave one seat. If Massa were unable to take it, wouldn't that be made available to Schumacher?
The chances of KR's staying at Ferrari have got to be tiny.
As for whether he ends up at McLaren, IINM their first choise is still Rosberg, and there's a dispute between them and M-B over whether M-B can place him at Brawn. In this, McLaren's card is that they can prevent M-B from supplying engines to Red Bull, which M-B are seeking to do because of Vettel.
Surely if we are touching on Deutsche preferential placement, Sutil should come into the equation? I suspect/fear Rosberg may be another Heidfeld in the long term, good but not quite good enough.. Seems to me like Sutil would be an ideal combo with Hamilton, even if they won't consider him at Brawn? That would leave one seat. If Massa were unable to take it, wouldn't that be made available to Schumacher?
The chances of KR's staying at Ferrari have got to be tiny.
As for whether he ends up at McLaren, IINM their first choise is still Rosberg, and there's a dispute between them and M-B over whether M-B can place him at Brawn. In this, McLaren's card is that they can prevent M-B from supplying engines to Red Bull, which M-B are seeking to do because of Vettel.
spend said:
flemke said:
It would seem that the only thing that is delaying Alonso's moving to Ferrari is the resolution of The Revenge of the Piqs. Assuming that Alonso's not implicated in that, he should be going there.
That would leave one seat. If Massa were unable to take it, wouldn't that be made available to Schumacher?
The chances of KR's staying at Ferrari have got to be tiny.
As for whether he ends up at McLaren, IINM their first choise is still Rosberg, and there's a dispute between them and M-B over whether M-B can place him at Brawn. In this, McLaren's card is that they can prevent M-B from supplying engines to Red Bull, which M-B are seeking to do because of Vettel.
Surely if we are touching on Deutsche preferential placement, Sutil should come into the equation? I suspect/fear Rosberg may be another Heidfeld in the long term, good but not quite good enough.. Seems to me like Sutil would be an ideal combo with Hamilton, even if they won't consider him at Brawn? That would leave one seat. If Massa were unable to take it, wouldn't that be made available to Schumacher?
The chances of KR's staying at Ferrari have got to be tiny.
As for whether he ends up at McLaren, IINM their first choise is still Rosberg, and there's a dispute between them and M-B over whether M-B can place him at Brawn. In this, McLaren's card is that they can prevent M-B from supplying engines to Red Bull, which M-B are seeking to do because of Vettel.
Wrt whether Sutil the driver is that good, perhaps he is. I have tried to form a confident opinion on him, but have failed to do so. There are so many subtleties and cross-currents that even the pros get their assessments wrong. Williams turned down Kubica when they could have got him for peanuts, and McLaren came close to giving de la Rosa the '07 ride in preference to Hamilton, so what hope do we idiots have of predicting whether Adrian Sutil could cut it at the sharp end over 18 races and the pressure that comes with one of the top rides?
Kovalainen has done everything he could, yet he hasn't quite measured up. The purpose of replacing him, a young driver with a great work ethic and team attitude, would be to get someone who is all those things but also a better racer. Not an easy question to answer, especially with limited knowledge.
steve z said:
Sutil does have a deal with a new team for next season according to his manager, who I spoke to at the German GP this year. He just wouldn't tell me which team!!!
If that team were a team that had or wanted to have the Merc engine, then one suspects that, in certain scenarios, there might be some flexibility. 
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