Formula One: Who will be Kimi Raikkonen's Teammate or Successor?

A couple of months ago, I posted the following title topic on Kimi Raikkonen's Facebook page: "Kimi's next teammate."

At the time, Felipe Massa was surviving a second DNF in as many races, sparking speculations on the likelihood of the Italian outfit keeping the Brazilian hotshot within the team.

Most people in this discussion were split up between Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, although names such as Nico Rosberg and Nick Heidfeld did pop through.

Now it is clear that Fernando Alonso would not be able to bond with a driver of his own caliber, i.e. Kimi Raikkonen.

Also Montezemolo himself depicted the arrival of Alonso as a damaging move (whilst Raikkonen is No. 1 driver,  a key factor to remember, and I shall examine that later in this article).

On the other hand, Sebastien Vettel would be an ideal pick, considering his potential and his willingness to shadow the Iceman as part of the learning curve of a traditional aspiring talent.

Compare this to Lewis Hamilton, who went straight for it last year. Vettel would prove a valuable asset: expandable, flexible and willing to play the part the prance horse, i.e. wait in the background and don't mess with Raikka.

However, the reality of Formula 1 racing is not that straightforward, following comments from Ferrari executives on a possible Alonso move to the Reds.

Ross Brawn of Honda made a very interesting analysis of the whole debacle. He reckons that whilst speculation on Kimi Raikkonen's early retirement plans may not actually materialise this year or the next, it is true that the Iceman will not attempt to carry on like David Coulthard has done.

This is adding further momentum to Alonso's cause. The question we need to ask ourselves is not whether would Alonso and Raikkonen get along in the same team, but how much longer does the Kimster plan on to stay in F1?

If he does move on next year, which would be a disastrous loss for the sport, then who would Ferrari's pick be?

To that extent, considering the Scuderia is the best team in the paddock by a mile pacewise, surely a driver of Alonso's caliber would fit the bill.

Hamilton could request a switch to Ferrari but his loyalty to McLaren Mercedes in the form of a contract extension for the next five years makes him unlikely. Vettel is far from ready to take on such responsibility.

Nick Heidfeld could be an idea, but why switch to Ferrari when you're driving a BMW, the only team capable to taking on the pecking order?

Nico Rosberg and Timo Glock do have potential and enough experience in Formula 1 to advocate their candidacy with the Italian outfit.

When it's all said and done, would anyone at Ferrari relish the chance of hosting a double world champion as their first driver if Raikkonen was to leave?

My answer: not in a million years!