The '13 driver transfer discussion/speculation thread op updated 16/10

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

I don't see Hulkenburg leaving Sauber, mainly because he's there best driver and I doubt he'll be on any other teams' radar. He's been really mediocre this year, I know the car is poor but he's hardly been driving the wheels off it like Bianchi.



Out of those two you mentioned, I'd say Kamui is most likely for the seat. Bianchi couldn't really move anywhere.
Caterham would be pointless, STR is a no-no, Sauber, no due to Hulkenburg not likely to move and the Russian kid probably coming in next year. FI, maybe if Di Resta moves on, but as with Hulkenburg I doubt he'll be moving anywhere, his performances this year have been the best I've seen from him but I'm not a team owner. Williams I doubt he'll go to after their performances. That leaves Lotus. Kimi is most likely to go to RBR so they could bring Bianchi up but they don't have any ties with Ferrari and I doubt they'd be pleased about that.

I wouldn't say that Hulkenburg is at fault the car is a dog, and the only reason there are points to it is due to him. Esteban doesn't stand a chance for the remainder I think, and we still have plenty of races to go for Hulkenburg to try and push the car further. With the new tires the car may improve but who knows. I still say Kimi and Daniel are equal on the list, I think Tost and maybe Marko are pushing for him while Mateschitz and Horner want Kimi along with Vettel. Newey has worked with Kimi before so that is helpful too.

Either way I mainly agree with you.

Hulk would do very well in a top team. He's definitely on the radar. He's just had so much back luck falling into teams at the wrong time. I really hope he gets a better chance.

About Kimi, you guys gotta realize that a lot of this stuff is posturing. These rumors and such work to the advantage of different teams' interest. All gamemanship.

For example, by Ferrari "offering" this seat to Kimi publicly, they will raise Kimi's price by demand. They've been at this game more than long enough.

Alonso's effectively trying to get Ferrari to step up their game, and at the same time raising his own price, by talking about wanting another car and such. It's a market through and through. Ferrari's just reacting to everything.

Wardez makes an excellent point that I didn't factor in.

 

[SVT Cobra GT]

I wouldn't say that Hulkenburg is at fault the car is a dog, and the only reason there are points to it is due to him. Esteban doesn't stand a chance for the remainder I think, and we still have plenty of races to go for Hulkenburg to try and push the car further. With the new tires the car may improve but who knows. I still say Kimi and Daniel are equal on the list, I think Tost and maybe Marko are pushing for him while Mateschitz and Horner want Kimi along with Vettel. Newey has worked with Kimi before so that is helpful too.

I'm not saying Hulkenburg is at fault for the car being poor. The car in the right hands can run in the points, albeit running 8th-12th on the grid. Hulkenburg just hasn't ragged it up to 5th or 6th to make him stand out and put him right on the radar for the top teams. Bianchi has ragged the Marussia up to running with the Williams and consistently beating the Caterhams in the first few races which might not sound impressive but considering that Marussia were only beating HRT throughout 2010/2011/2012 is great for him and the team. I reckon Esteban will be gone by the end of this year, would be a shame though, he has made one or two rookie mistakes but F1 is a fierce competition.

 

[SilverArrow]

I'm not saying Hulkenburg is at fault for the car being poor. The car in the right hands can run in the points, albeit running 8th-12th on the grid. Hulkenburg just hasn't ragged it up to 5th or 6th to make him stand out and put him right on the radar for the top teams. Bianchi has ragged the Marussia up to running with the Williams and consistently beating the Caterhams in the first few races which might not sound impressive but considering that Marussia were only beating HRT throughout 2010/2011/2012 is great for him and the team. I reckon Esteban will be gone by the end of this year, would be a shame though, he has made one or two rookie mistakes but F1 is a fierce competition.

To be dragging the car up to 5-6th, he'd need to beat at least 2 of the Red Bull/Merc/Ferrari/Lotus bunch, both Force Indias and both McLarens. You'd need massive luck to be able to do that in the car he's in, not skill. Ricciardo hasn't even finished higher than 7th this year, in a car which has mainly been better than the Sauber, but he's still being considered for RBR.

 

[SVT Cobra GT]

To be dragging the car up to 5-6th, he'd need to beat at least 2 of the Red Bull/Merc/Ferrari/Lotus bunch, both Force Indias and both McLarens. You'd need massive luck to be able to do that in the car he's in, not skill. Ricciardo hasn't even finished higher than 7th this year, in a car which has mainly been better than the Sauber, but he's still being considered for RBR.

Good point. But that car has the ability to fight for 8th-12th in Hulkenburgs hands. A 6th-7th place finish is a reachable goal in that car for someone with great skill. Ricciardo is being considered for RBR mainly due to STR being the RBR junior program. I'm not sure why JEV isn't being considered, he's outscored Ricciardo this season and I think last season too. But I guess that's because Ricciardo has out qualified him a lot this season.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

I'm not saying Hulkenburg is at fault for the car being poor. The car in the right hands can run in the points, albeit running 8th-12th on the grid. Hulkenburg just hasn't ragged it up to 5th or 6th to make him stand out and put him right on the radar for the top teams. Bianchi has ragged the Marussia up to running with the Williams and consistently beating the Caterhams in the first few races which might not sound impressive but considering that Marussia were only beating HRT throughout 2010/2011/2012 is great for him and the team. I reckon Esteban will be gone by the end of this year, would be a shame though, he has made one or two rookie mistakes but F1 is a fierce competition.

The only way that car would make it to 6th or 5th is through attrition that could have been worse last week. I don't see any other races being as bad as Spa when it comes to overheating the car. I get you're not saying that Hulkenberg is the issue with the car, but the fundamental flaw I see is that you actually think the car is worthy of a top five finish.

The only reason Bianchi has had the ability to run with Williams is because the car is awful and probably as bad as the 2011 form if not worse. Caterham were basically using last years car in the first 3 races. I'm not going to take away from Bianchi because he showed that Marussia have made some improvement and that he could be fast with a not so fast car. However, Willimas have been off the pace significantly and Marussia running close to them during race day is not the same as Sauber mixing it up for the second cars of the top five teams. Sauber is a very solid mid level team, with McLaren and STR being Higher-Mid tier and 4 top tier teams this year.

Esteban will probably be gone, but I really don't see what there is to be sad about for him. He along with the other proposed drivers at YDT last year (other than Frijins) didn't really deserve the drive. He wasn't ready for F1, and to be honest I think he should have spent another year in GP2. However, I don't think this will be his one and only year in F1...

Good point. But that car has the ability to fight for 8th-12th in Hulkenburgs hands. A 6th-7th place finish is a reachable goal in that car for someone with great skill. Ricciardo is being considered for RBR mainly due to STR being the RBR junior program. I'm not sure why JEV isn't being considered, he's outscored Ricciardo this season and I think last season too. But I guess that's because Ricciardo has out qualified him a lot this season.

No it really doesn't, the car isn't able to compete and has shown signs of bad set up and design choices. You only have to look back at Silverstone and Germany to see that the straight line speed couldn't compare with williams and it had trouble running with cars during practice. This isn't last years Sauber, it isn't even the same person at the helm.

This season isn't over, he hasn't outscored anyone. Riccardo is being looked at due to his ability to qualify, and run consistently well. However, bad luck has hurt him more so than the bad luck that JEV has had. Thus RBR are looking at that as a basis.

 

[SVT Cobra GT]

The only way that car would make it to 6th or 5th is through attrition that could have been worse last week. I don't see any other races being as bad as Spa when it comes to overheating the car. I get you're not saying that Hulkenberg is the issue with the car, but the fundamental flaw I see is that you actually think the car is worthy of a top five finish.

The only reason Bianchi has had the ability to run with Williams is because the car is awful and probably as bad as the 2011 form if not worse. Caterham were basically using last years car in the first 3 races. I'm not going to take away from Bianchi because he showed that Marussia have made some improvement and that he could be fast with a not so fast car. However, Willimas have been off the pace significantly and Marussia running close to them during race day is not the same as Sauber mixing it up for the second cars of the top five teams. Sauber is a very solid mid level team, with McLaren and STR being Higher-Mid tier and 4 top tier teams this year.

Esteban will probably be gone, but I really don't see what there is to be sad about for him. He along with the other proposed drivers at YDT last year (other than Frijins) didn't really deserve the drive. He wasn't ready for F1, and to be honest I think he should have spent another year in GP2. However, I don't think this will be his one and only year in F1...

I'm not sure, I think it could fight with the second STR and McLaren but with some luck and some development as SilverArrow said.

Thats true about the Williams and Caterham, but hasn't Bianchi still been in the mix with the Caterhams and always ahead of Chilton? Apart from his retirements.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

I'm not sure, I think it could fight with the second STR and McLaren but with some luck and some development as SilverArrow said.

Perhaps but that would disprove you if it does, and has. If Hulk can fight and be faster than the second drivers of STR and McLaren he obviously deserves a seat since both cars technologically are superior.

Thats true about the Williams and Caterham, but hasn't Bianchi still been in the mix with the Caterhams and always ahead of Chilton? Apart from his retirements.

It would look like Williams are coming up to form and will probably be out of the low tier they're in, especially with the power tracks coming up. Also from the last few race Caterham has improved and have been beating Marussia and may be on form to keep doing so till the end of the year. So the numbers distort and are bloated compared to the reality of what really goes on. As far as Chilton goes, people say (not me) that he should be better than Chilton due to his test drive role before full race season.

 

[Samus]

I've heard Kimi is still interested to come back in Ferrari.
I really hope so, if we can't win the Driver Champ with Kimi we would surely have chance for the Constructors.

I just hope the "not so smart" duo Montezemolo Domenicali are finally changing their mind and consdireng the Iceman once again, seems like they are offering more money than RB. For the pricing horse is time to stop being lame confirming Massa once again, or Bianchi.. WTH. We need another top driver toghether with Alo, the only one available is Kimi. If he goes to Redbull it's gameover for everyone: no point even calculating the Constructors Champ, it will goes to RB period.

I'm not sure how really happy Sebastian is. I bet he would much prefer Ricciardo as team mate but he will never admit that.

We? You work for Ferrari then?

 

[Wardez]

Tifosi talk like that.

Very close to the team...

Kind of how baseball fans here in the states that say stuff like, " We won the World Series this year 'cause of blah,blah,blah." I imagine football fans in Europe may say term things in the same way.

 

[SVT Cobra GT]

Tifosi talk like that.

Very close to the team...

Kind of how baseball fans here in the states that say stuff like, " We won the World Series this year 'cause of blah,blah,blah." I imagine football fans in Europe may say term things in the same way.

Yep that's true, when I'm talking about football with my friends I always refer to my team as "we"

 

[Ardius]

He says those were just rumors and never claimed such daft rubbish. Yet that doesn't mean he wont leave if given a better option.

He says here...:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/23476075

...that he's "looking at several options...including Sauber". I'd say that is pretty much the most confirmation we can ever get that a driver is definitely looking elsewhere, otherwise he would just give the standard "no, not going to talk about it/I'm happy here/I'm focusing on this season" response.

I'm not saying Hulkenburg is at fault for the car being poor. The car in the right hands can run in the points, albeit running 8th-12th on the grid. Hulkenburg just hasn't ragged it up to 5th or 6th to make him stand out and put him right on the radar for the top teams. Bianchi has ragged the Marussia up to running with the Williams and consistently beating the Caterhams in the first few races which might not sound impressive but considering that Marussia were only beating HRT throughout 2010/2011/2012 is great for him and the team. I reckon Esteban will be gone by the end of this year, would be a shame though, he has made one or two rookie mistakes but F1 is a fierce competition.

Generally I'm impressed if any driver manages to drag a Sauber anywhere near points with their strategy decisions. I can't go on about this enough because it frequently plays hugely into the results.

I'm not sure why you're expecting any driver to be able to take the Sauber into the top 5 without some serious luck. Hulk has actually almost managed this in China before his bizarre poor pace in the final stint dropped him back. When has Gutierrez looked remotely like finishing higher than 10th? (even considering the fruity strategies Sauber sometimes employ)

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

He says here...:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/23476075

...that he's "looking at several options...including Sauber". I'd say that is pretty much the most confirmation we can ever get that a driver is definitely looking elsewhere, otherwise he would just give the standard "no, not going to talk about it/I'm happy here/I'm focusing on this season" response.

I basically said what you said due to this article during the same week:

http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/news/12478/8840022/nico-hulkenberg-denies-being-set-to-quit-sauber-but-keeps-future-options-open

Not sure why you quoted me, since I did say that it doesn't mean he wont be leaving next year the chance is very much still there but he could stay as well.

 

[Ardius]

I think he's giving pretty clear signs he isn't looking to be at Sauber next year. He didn't exactly come over as enthusiastic to stay there. The reason I'm quoting you is you're suggesting its half-way house - I think the signs are that he's leaving.

 

[HKS racer]

What is with these tin foil hat conspiracies? Why would Newey destroy a WDC battle between Kimi and Sebastian?

Why you ask me? LOL. Because they did that already. Since the last race of 2010. Do you remember how they sacrified Webber championship pitting early, it was a trap for Ferrari and they didn't realized in time. Great move, they won the champ but they sacrified Webber. Not to mention the amount of technical problems Webber had in all these years compared to Seb.

Also, Bianchi is a young driver proving he is adjusting well to F1 and could be very quick if giving the right equipment.

Let's say the truth, he is in F1 only because Todt jr. is his manager.

Ferrari need someone able to prove Alonso he just need to close his mouth and race 110% instead of complaining the team when things goes wrong. Kimi will surely be a challange, Alonso need that the team need that. Being faster than Massa it's too easy, I suspect Nando doesn't race at his best everytime.

 

[Anghammarad]

Ferrari need someone able to prove Alonso he just need to close his mouth and race 110% instead of complaining the team when things goes wrong.

The thing is that he has been doing just that, given 110% that is, the last four seasons and Ferrari haven't been able to provide a championship winning car once during that time.

 

[Ardius]

Let's say the truth, he is in F1 only because Todt jr. is his manager.

Why isn't Luca Filippi in F1 then?

 

[SilverArrow]

We? You work for Ferrari then?

He works for Fiat in Brazil.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

Why you ask me? LOL. Because they did that already. Since the last race of 2010. Do you remember how they sacrified Webber championship pitting early, it was a trap for Ferrari and they didn't realized in time. Great move, they won the champ but they sacrified Webber. Not to mention the amount of technical problems Webber had in all these years compared to Seb.

Once again, the only thing RBR are guilty of is giving Seb parts before Mark during a season that could have been a WDC for mark instead. As far as technical issues, if you think RBR would detonate their own cars to fail and sacrafice WCC you have issues. Vettel has had plenty of issues with KERS, Alternator, engine and Gear box. It's funny that people see Marks KERS failure this past GP and make a big deal about it but quickly forget Vettel has a transmission failure two GPs prior.

I'm a Webber fan, not a conspiracy theorist. However, you are an obvious Ferrari fan and will say things like you just did.

Let's say the truth, he is in F1 only because Todt jr. is his manager.

Ferrari need someone able to prove Alonso he just need to close his mouth and race 110% instead of complaining the team when things goes wrong. Kimi will surely be a challange, Alonso need that the team need that. Being faster than Massa it's too easy, I suspect Nando doesn't race at his best everytime.

You're mental, obviously a driver is a dime a dozen to you especially those of Alonso's caliber. With fans like you Ferrari must feel safe with the actions they make.

Why isn't Luca Filippi in F1 then?

Exactly, not sure what proof he has that Bianchi is as slow as he claims, disagreeing with us doesn't prove the man is slow. Not sure he understands that though...

 

[Samus]

Bianchi only in F1 because of Todt? What exactly are you smoking and have you even watched him in junior categories, or even his performance this season? Most partisan F1 fans recognize him as a very strong talent.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

Bianchi only in F1 because of Todt? What exactly are you smoking and have you even watched him in junior categories, or even his performance this season? Most partisan F1 fans recognize him as a very strong talent.

That excludes the dogmatic devotees of long time race drivers. Though I do find it wierd that such a loyal fan that supports Ferrari snuffing Alonso, wouldn't support them being happy with the strength Bianchi shows.

If anything HKS should be touting Bianchi because Ferrari told him to.

 

[HKS racer]

.

You are the mental dude, making assumptions about what other people is or should think because they support this or that team.

I have my own idea about everything. I don't think something just because Domenicali told me to. In fact I don't have a great idea about him. Not everyone know that he took Ross Brawn place because he is the son of the ex president of Imola Bank which was a close friend of Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, an high profile Cardinal in Italian and San Marino Church and a relative of Luca Cordero di Montezemolo.
Stefano Domenicali became Ferrari team principal because of that.

I very well know how this stuff goes in my country. In Italy skills are useless you just need to be in the right family. That's why all the best italian minds try to escape as soon as possible in USA, Germany and all over the World.
Ross Brawn is a much more talented team principal and we lost a LOT when he left.

About Bianchi , I think he is an average driver, he wasn't able to beat Grosjean in GP2, really nothing special. When Grosjean was Alonso team mate in Renault he was labelled as "not good good enough for F1". I don't give a damn if Montezemolo and Domenicali will try to please the son of Jean Todt. I'm not going to cheer them. Bianchi will be slightly better than Massa, Kimi Raikkonen will be close to Alonso or even ahead of him. That's the difference.

About RB not favoring this or that driver, look for the stats with all Webber technical issues and compare them with Seb. I remember Mark wasting races just because a mechanic didn't screw up the wheel properly at the box. What happen'd this year is NOT the first time. Maybe they don't do on purpose, surely they didn't share the same attention to details they have with Seb, as it never happen'd in 4 years.

About what an obvious Italian Ferrari supporter should think I'll answer to an obvious American Corvette supporter that I'm loyal only to Enzo Ferrari and the Ferrari trademark. All the rest are just people working for it, and this people are far from perfect unfortunately.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

I think he's giving pretty clear signs he isn't looking to be at Sauber next year. He didn't exactly come over as enthusiastic to stay there. The reason I'm quoting you is you're suggesting its half-way house - I think the signs are that he's leaving.

I agree he's leaving, but I'm quoting him exactly as he said. He said he is still looking at Sauber, I'm sure though the preference is another team that actually has their finances in order. I don't think you understood what I was saying, he himself said they are rubbish which is just as bad as no comment.

I quoted him correctly.

 

[Ardius]

I can't decide whether the fact Bianchi has so badly beaten Chilton into the ground despite Chilton doing almost all the testing is because he is that good or because Chilton is that bad.
Unfortunately for Bianchi, I've never had a particulary high regard for Chilton - even less so now that Sky and BBC are taking the time to big him up from time to time.

Still, I don't think Bianchi has embarrassed himself and has certainly given enough reason to try him out in a midfield team. Not sure he's convincing enough for a Ferrari seat though. It's always difficult to judge the bottom teams for driver ability.

Interesting that Bottas hasn't really done a whole lot better than Senna did against Maldonado. He's had his moments but then so did Senna. Again, deserves more of a shot, at least for another season or two.

I think Sutil has well and truly had his day. He's not going to be good enough for a top team and isn't consistent enough to help midfield teams a whole lot.
Di Resta has been slightly more consistent but also not very exciting. Force India's line-up is still the dullest of the lot.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

You are the mental dude, making assumptions about what other people is or should think because they support this or that team.

I have my own idea about everything. I don't think something just because Domenicali told me to. In fact I don't have a great idea about him. Not everyone know that he took Ross Brawn place because he is the son of the ex president of Imola Bank which was a close friend of Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, an high profile Cardinal in Italian and San Marino Church and a relative of Luca Cordero di Montezemolo.
Stefano Domenicali became Ferrari team principal because of that.

Problem is I've seen a lot of your motor racing insight and it is very disconnected and not well researched like other notables on here. What's worse is you claim something without evidence to back it and pass it off as a common fact, that is why I called you mental.

I very well know how this stuff goes in my country. In Italy skills are useless you just need to be in the right family. That's why all the best italian minds try to escape as soon as possible in USA, Germany and all over the World.
Ross Brawn is a much more talented team principal and we lost a LOT when he left.

Well I can agree with you here, after his last brush with the FIA many see him as just a cheat... Also family ties get anyone a seat, doesn't matter if you're a Brazilian with the last name of Piquet or Senna, or a French national that has the name of Prost. Or even a Danish driver that is the son of a driver from my favorite Sports car team, a name opens doors many times. Even if the person has the merit to be their.

About Bianchi , I think he is an average driver, he wasn't able to beat Grosjean in GP2, really nothing special. When Grosjean was Alonso team mate in Renault he was labelled as "not good good enough for F1". I don't give a damn if Montezemolo and Domenicali will try to please the son of Jean Todt. I'm not going to cheer them. Bianchi will be slightly better than Massa, Kimi Raikkonen will be close to Alonso or even ahead of him. That's the difference.

First off Romain didn't even race a full season of F1 so anyone who said that really couldn't gauge the full capacity of Romain. Also Romain didn't get sent back because Alonso was super amazing in the R29 it was due to him crashing so much. Wow, the fact that you think Bianchi is only there because of Todt's son just shows you don't really know what you are talking about.

About RB not favoring this or that driver, look for the stats with all Webber technical issues and compare them with Seb. I remember Mark wasting races just because a mechanic didn't screw up the wheel properly at the box. What happen'd this year is NOT the first time. Maybe they don't do on purpose, surely they didn't share the same attention to details they have with Seb, as it never happen'd in 4 years.

Sebastian has had plenty of issues in the past four years too, get your facts straight before you muck up the water.

About what an obvious Italian Ferrari supporter should think I'll answer to an obvious American Corvette supporter that I'm loyal only to Enzo Ferrari and the Ferrari trademark. All the rest are just people working for it, and this people are far from perfect unfortunately.

I may be obvious but when they screw up I don't defend them, I try to be objective, a ideal you might want to wrap your mind around. Not sure what my support for Corvette has to do with this.

Um obviously my comment was the most blunt and poignant one because others echoed that they thought your comments were wrong.

 

[SagarisGTB]

About Bianchi , I think he is an average driver, he wasn't able to beat Grosjean in GP2, really nothing special. When Grosjean was Alonso team mate in Renault he was labelled as "not good good enough for F1". I don't give a damn if Montezemolo and Domenicali will try to please the son of Jean Todt. I'm not going to cheer them. Bianchi will be slightly better than Massa, Kimi Raikkonen will be close to Alonso or even ahead of him. That's the difference.

But remember, Massa beat Kimi at Ferrari, so Bianchi will be slightly better than Raikkonen.......

Look, things aren't as simple as you make them seem.

Interesting that Bottas hasn't really done a whole lot better than Senna did against Maldonado. He's had his moments but then so did Senna. Again, deserves more of a shot, at least for another season or two.

I think Sutil has well and truly had his day. He's not going to be good enough for a top team and isn't consistent enough to help midfield teams a whole lot.
Di Resta has been slightly more consistent but also not very exciting. Force India's line-up is still the dullest of the lot.

Bottas has done very well to edge Maldonado in qualifying, but Maldonado has generally done better during races. Still, I think it's a good sign that Bottas is able to come in and be competitive with a fast driver like Maldonado in his first year. He's quite promising.

And I agree completely on FI. Neither has ever beaten a decent teammate in F1 other than themselves. I never rated Sutil, and Di Resta being soundly beaten by Hulkenburg and now not running away from Sutil hasn't impressed me much either. For beating Sutil, I think Di Resta should keep his seat, but if the next driver comes in a beats Di Resta next season, I think his time will be close to being up.

 

[Ardius]

I don't normally do these, but for kicks, an ideal world:

Red Bull - Vettel/Alonso
Mercedes - Hamilton/Rosberg
McLaren - Button/Perez
Ferrari - Hulkenburg/Kobayashi
Lotus - Raikkonen/Grosjean
Force India - Bianchi/Nasr
Sauber - Frijns/Pic
Williams - Maldonado/Bottas
Toro Rosso - Ricciardo/Vergne
Caterham - Van der Garde/Rossi
Marrusia - Calado/Magnussen

 

[SagarisGTB]

I'd love for Nasr to get a FI seat, it would be the perfect place for him to start his F1 career. Unfortunately he doesn't have any connections to any F1 team or manufacturer right now (hence he wasn't at the YDT). But if he continues impressing though, someone will give him an opportunity eventually, hopefully.

 

[Wardez]

Kimi's name on the Ferrari contract according to Italian sources:

http://www.suomif1.com/2013/08/italialaislahde-kimi-raikkosella-jo-nimi-ferrari-sopimuksessa/

reddit translation from a Finn:

Kimi Räikkönen's next year employer has been confirmed. SuomiF1-site's very reliable italian source informed that Räikkönen has put the name on Ferrari contract a few days ago
The same source reveals that the contract is to be announced in the coming weeks, so well before the season-ending race in November.
German Sport Bild magazine reported this week, citing to their own sources, that Ferrari has made an contract offer to Räikkönen before the Hungarian GP. Our sources tell that the offer was made well before, and has now been signed.
Ferrari's Kimi-news denial was misinterpreted?
The Italian team took a stand on their drivers' contract situation in Wednesday by giving a press release to DPA news agency:
-The team does not have interest in the driver-market right now, Ferrari's representative said.
The phrase was interpreted in the media so that Ferrari denies Sport Bild's information. In fact, the lack of interest in the driver market is probably due to the fact that they already have Räikkönen's name on the papers and they don't need to search new driver anymore.
Kimi Räikkönen drove with Ferrari in 2007-2009 seasons and celebrated the WDC after his first year with the team. Since 2007, Ferrari hasn't been able to celebrate the drivers world championship, so they hope that Kimi would raise the team back to the top podium.
Felipe Massa's current contract expires this season and Fernando Alonso is connected to red bull in rumours, so Räikkönen's teammate for next season is still open.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

I'll wait for the official news, though you usually are good at finding stuff Wardez. I guess I just don't want to believe that Kimi would go back to that house of cards.

 

[Wardez]

That's the right way to go! Yeah, it would be immense if Kimi went back. While he did encounter a lot of machination over at Ferrari, I feel that he's grown as a driver, proved his worth and approach on a much grander and risky scale. I think Ferrari would have learned their lesson and won't try and pull the same BS.

But this is Ferrari we're talking about, so... you know. But hey, if they don't learn for good, at least they can learn for a couple seasons, where maybe they'll do extremely well. Then something else will happen and explode their successful structure into delicious dramagasm.

The thing is though, that Kimi knows Allison's at Ferrari, knows he has quite a lot of potential to create an amazing package for him starting next year, especially considering Rory's involvement and others they've picked up. + the new factory... it's looking better every week.

But can you imagine if it ends up being Alonso and Kimi as team mates?! OMG I will lose my ****. THAT, will be a force to be ****ing reckoned with...

I can only dream though.

So now my ideal front runner sorting would be Seb & Danny @ RBR, Alonso & Kimi @ SF, Merc stay the same as this year, and Grosjean & Hulk @ Lotus.