Raikkonen return to F1?

[Ardius]

I find it amusing you are suggesting this, ludes, when you were Kobayashi's biggest critic last year after only two races, both of which he impressed at. Now we have Hulkenburg, who has had a steady and decent season, take a pole position in mixed conditions and you are open to the idea that its enough to make other teams take him on?

Hulk won't be repeating his pole because the Williams is not fast enough, its just ludicrous to expect that. He can only achieve what he has been before, i.e. making Q3 and finishing in the points. It requires conditions like yesterday for him to take poles, podiums and wins.

Hulk has earnt his place in F1 because of his season as a whole, not this fluke pole. It certainly helps people stand up and take notice but it doesn't suddenly change people's minds. He has done well, amazing yesterday and he will certainly be turning heads. However, its unrealistic to expect him to repeat it at Abu Dhabi.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I find it amusing you are suggesting this, ludes, when you were Kobayashi's biggest critic last year after only two races, both of which he impressed at.

Because Kobayashi has now had a season under his belt. We've got a better impression of who he is, and while his early hype was not undeserved, I think it's fair to say that he hasn't exactly met the expectations of the fans. Suzuka was a race to remember, but episodes like Singapore were foregettable to say the least.

Now we have Hulkenburg, who has had a steady and decent season, take a pole position in mixed conditions and you are open to the idea that its enough to make other teams take him on?

And I've been a critic of Hulkenberg - but I will admit that he has been getting better over the course of a season. And if there is one team that can recognise speed in drive and channel it in a way that unlocks their potential, it's Ferrari. After all, they did it to Felipe Massa; he was impetuous and prone to spinning and the number on his car usually reflected the number of laps he'd make it before binning it. Now, while it's true that Massa had a year off as test driver, a luxury Ferrari cannot afford with someone like Hulkenberg, I think Alonso is strong enough to shoulder the brunt of the team and carry them on his own. Of course, that depends on him being able to win another WDC, because Red Bull and McLaren have stronger line-ups, but it's something Ferrari could invest in long-term. I see the same qualities in Hulkenberg that we did in Massa, and with a little bit of polish, he could be a very strong second driver. The trouble is that if Williams take him for 2011, they'll take him for several years, and Ferrari would miss the chance at a strong Alonso/Hulkenberg combination. Of course, there are others out there like Kubica and maybe Kobayashi and even Petrov if he gets another season at Renault and can repeat his Hungarian performance more often than his Japanese one (of course, he's the rank outsider). Because I simply cannot think of anyone else who could potentially replace Massa.

Hulk won't be repeating his pole because the Williams is not fast enough, its just ludicrous to expect that. He can only achieve what he has been before, i.e. making Q3 and finishing in the points. It requires conditions like yesterday for him to take poles, podiums and wins.

Oh, of course - but if he has a strong race here and again in Abu Dhabi, there's plenty of opportunity there. It's food for thought, but anyone looking at him for the future has to strike while the iron is hot. And that's the risk they have to take: that Hulkenberg is only really good in variable conditions.