In a move that did not come as a surprise for many in the world of Formula One, Finn and current Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen will be joining the Ferrari team for the next two seasons
In a move that did not come as a ‘surprise’ for many in the world of Formula One, Finn and current Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen will be joining the Ferrari team for the next two seasons, replacing the Brazilian Felipe Massa. Kimi’s current team, Lotus posted a tweet stating – So #Kimi is off to #Ferrari for 2014; it hurts a little bit… #F1 #Raikkonen. With the Ferrari almost ‘chasing’ the likes of Red Bull and Mercedes in the championship race, the signing of Kimi signals a statement of intent by the Italian team. So what do we expect from the ‘Ice Man’?
Kimi is back in familiar territory – Ferrari had signed him from Mclaren in 2006 replacing 7-time champ Michael Schumacher. And in his first season with the team (2007), the Finn went on to become the world champion beating the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso by a single point. In 2008, the ‘Ice Man’ did not have much luck and finished third in the title race. Kimi left Ferrari and F1 in 2009 with the latter paying off his wages for the remaining year of his contract. He went on to race in the Rally races and later in the NASCAR.
Kimi came out of his so-called ‘sabbatical’ and in 2012 joined Lotus on a two-year contract. And now that Kimi and Fernando are a ‘team’ for the next season, sparks are set to fly. Former F1 driver, David Coulthard in his column for English daily said that, “He (Kimi) could re-energise Ferrari’. Kimi Raikkonen, during his Ferrari tenure, had hoped for an Alonso re-union and voila! His prayers have been answered. The new ‘Galactico’ of Scuderria Ferrari F1 team could take them to all new heights. If Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton were expecting a cakewalk in the coming seasons, well they are in for some disappointment.
If Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo can add spark to Real Madrid FC, just imagine what Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso could do to a certain Formula One. The last time an F1 team had two world champions on their team was way back in 1953 and it was also for Ferrari (Nino Farina and Alberto Ascari).
Imran Bhaidani, who is a diehard Ferrari fan says, “The coming together of Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen will be a masterclass. Currently, F1 is dominated by Red Bull alone, but with Kimi and Alonso teaming up, they can seriously post a title challenge to the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.”
So come 2014, it is going to be a box-office bonanza at a racetrack near you!
