10/09/2013
NEWS STORY
Anticipation is building ahead of what some believe could see a massive shake-up of the 2014 F1 grid.
The centre of attention is Kimi Raikkonen, with many of the opinion that an official announcement of his return to Ferrari is just days away. The big question however, is who is he replacing.
While previously it was thought the Finn would replace Felipe Massa and partner Fernando Alonso, events at the weekend, not to mention the highly-publicised spat over the summer, suggest that the relationship between the Spaniard and his team is breaking down.
Both parties have history, Alonso famously leaving McLaren after just one season following an attempt to blackmail it in a sorry saga that was to become Spygate, one of the most infamous scandals in the history of the sport. As for Ferrari, which prides itself on its 'family' image, yet often proves to be as dysfunctional as The Simpsons, let's not forget the way Alain Prost was shown the door (with pay) after he dared to criticise the team. Then again, let's not forget the way Michael Schumacher was brushed aside for Raikkonen who then made way for Alonso.
Cleary the rot is in as far as Ferrari and Alonso are concerned, so, could we see Raikkonen take Alonso's seat rather than Massa's?
While many believe that in such a scenario Alonso would head to Lotus, let's not forget that the Enstone outfit, like so many of its rivals, has money issues. That said, with an eye on Honda returning, albeit as an engine supplier, and even talk of BMW looking at F1, could Renault be persuaded to buy back into its old team? A healthy injection of cash could see Alonso head back to the team with which he won his two titles.
Then again, with an eye on 2015, would the Spaniard consider a return to McLaren – or might he ride the Maranello storm just to see?
Speaking at the weekend, Massa admitted that despite having previously said that losing his Ferrari drive would end time in F1 he would now consider another team.
One wild rumour over the weekend had Ross Brawn buying into Williams. Brawn knows as well as the next man that the easiest way to make a small fortune from F1 is to invest a big one, and while many will have dismissed the story, what better way to ease the congestion at Brackley - in terms of technical directors - than to find Ross a position elsewhere.
Now ensconced at Brackley with Mercedes, Toto Wolff still has a significant financial stake in Williams, so what better way to kill a few birds with that one stone than to ease Brawn into Grove along with some of Wolff's stake, courtesy of Mercedes.
Such a move might be enough to convince Pastor Maldonado, and more importantly PDVSA, to remain on board, Williams aware that the loss of the Venezuelan driver and his backers could sound the death knell for the team.
Should such a move go ahead, Massa might not be able to bring money to Williams but he has a lot of experience and has worked with Brawn at Ferrari. On the other hand, could we see the Brazilian head back to the team where his F1 career began, Sauber.
While the Swiss team has one of the best drivers out there in Nico Hulkenberg, it needs money. Sergey Sirotkin and his backers have been virtually guaranteed a drive in 2014, but many believe this will not happen. If it doesn't, and the youngster, and his backers, have to rely on the promise of a seat until 2015, the Hinwil outfit will need the money that comes with Esteban Gutierrez. Therefore, for one year, would it be worth the team employing Massa, before handing over to Sirotkin in 2015?
As for Hulkenberg, how about the talented German partnering Raikkonen at Ferrari?
There are other drivers that we should be considering, but most of them don't have money, and it is cash, as opposed to raw talent, that some teams appear to be focussing on.
At present, only two teams have their 2014 line-ups 'set in stone', which means that anything can, and probably will, happen.
While much of this will seem quite preposterous, let's not forget the reaction when Lewis Hamilton's move to Mercedes was first proposed.
Though the races might have become a tad too processional, we have a feeling that once the music stops the upcoming game of 'musical chairs' will more than make up for it.