Formula 1's Latest Rumours and Talk: Raikkonen, Lotus, Minardi on Manor, More
Kimi Raikkonen is unsure what the future holds beyond the end of the 2015 Formula One season, but he isn't overly concerned.
The new father says it wouldn't be the end of the world if he doesn't stay with Ferrari in 2016; if he does go, there'll be no shortage of suitors lining up to take his place.
His former team-mate Romain Grosjean is more enthusiastic about his own future after seeing improvements at Lotus.
The Frenchman believes the team is now more stable in terms of finances and personnel and hopes this—along with their new Mercedes engine—will translate to greater success on the track.
Elsewhere, Gian Carlo Minardi has criticised the Strategy Group for rejecting Marussia/Manor's application to race in 2015, Qatar looks set to host a grand prix in the near future and Bernie Ecclestone's two-tier F1 proposal has been firmly rejected.
Read on for a full roundup of the top stories from the last few days.
Kimi Raikkonen Relaxed About Formula 1 Future
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Kimi Raikkonen has revealed he may not be too disappointed if he does not remain in F1 beyond the end of the current season.
The 2007 world champion's Ferrari deal expires this year, but there is an option on the table for him to continue in 2016 if both he and the team agree. Speaking at the Jerez test, Raikkonen said (h/t Sky Sports):
"There is an option on the contract. It’s up to me, up to the team to do a good job this year. If it goes badly and I don’t sign it, then I don’t sign it. It’s not the end of the world.
The aim is to do well and there are good signs. Everybody’s happy and I’m sure we can do a good year and we will see what happens in the future. I don’t worry about it. We will find out at some point.
"
Rumours have been circulating since last year linking Valtteri Bottas to the seat. Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t motorsport.com) claimed Ferrari had sounded out the Finn, and more recently Bottas was asked whether he might go to Ferrari in a February interview with Formula1.com.
But if Raikkonen does decide to go, Ferrari will have a wealth of talent to choose from. Nico Hulkenberg and Romain Grosjean should be available, while Jean-Eric Vergne is already at Maranello as a test and development driver.
Lewis Hamilton is also, at the time of writing, out of contract at the end of 2015. Maybe Ferrari would be up for another dual-champion lineup...
Qatar Set for Formula 1 Deal
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Qatar has taken a step closer to becoming F1's newest host country.
Speaking to the AFP news agency (h/t Sky Sports F1), Qatari motorsport federation president Nasser bin Khalifa al-Attiyah said, "We are about to sign contracts to organise a Formula One race. We have completed all the steps and there are only a few details before the official signature.
Any future race would be held at either the existing Losail International Circuit—already a MotoGP host venue—or at a (you guessed it) new street circuit in the capital, Doha.
The announcement is something of a surprise. Sky reports Bernie Ecclestone said in December that he had guaranteed Bahrain there would be no more races in the region—and Qatar is only 25 miles away from Bahrain.
Following these comments, Bahrain Grand Prix chief Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa told Autosport:
"The thing with Mr Ecclestone is how he values friendship. He appreciates the step we took [in hosting F1]—as we were the first people to take a chance [in the Middle East]. But I wouldn't read too much into [reports of an official veto].
I think F1's culture is growing [in the Middle East], and we can see it slowly coming about. But my personal opinion of having another race—wherever it is—I don't think we are ready for that.
"
Seemingly, some sort of deal has been reached.
Minardi Founder Criticises Marussia/Manor Rejection
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Gian Carlo Minardi has criticised the decision of the Strategy Group to block Marussia—now known as Manor—from fielding a 2014 car for the season ahead. Certain teams, including Force India, as reported by BBC Sport's Andrew Benson, were against allowing the team to compete in such a manner.
Writing on his website, the founder of legendary Italian minnows Minardi said of the vote:
"Opposing small teams hope to split up the amount due to Marussia, but perhaps they did not count to ten. Get rid of the two Cinderellas, Marussia and Caterham, it means shortening the grid.
Consequently, last line would be occupied by teams with far greater budgets and ambitions (see Force India itself, Sauber and Lotus), with commercial consequences and in terms of image to be verified.
"
Referring to the time when F1 was starting to attract the attentions of major manufacturers in the years coming up to the turn of the millennium, Minardi went on to argue that the sport needs smaller teams with more interest in racing than profits. He wrote:
"This situation reminds me of the ’96-’97 seasons, when I defended very strongly the importance of small teams. I argued that without teams participating with great passion but limited means—hoping, who knows, to find the right funds for the future—in the last row, there would inevitably be finite big manufacturers.
[It's a situation] that has repeatedly occurred in the 2000s. The manufacturers are not waiting years to grow and achieve positive results; they have commercial and image objectives in the short and tangible consequence of the choices in those years, was that year after year we have lost almost all of them.
"
The manufacturers Minardi refers to are Toyota (2002-2009), Renault (2002-2010), Honda (2006-2008), Ford (as Jaguar, 2000-2004) and BMW (2006-2009). None remain as teams and only two are current engine suppliers.
For any form of continuity and security, F1 needs teams whose entire reason for being is to go racing. On the current grid, the only teams which fit this description are McLaren, Ferrari (mostly), Williams, Force India and Sauber.
Providing they can afford to, those teams will remain in the sport for as long as they exist. The rest—including Red Bull and Mercedes—survive only on the whim of their owners or the boards of their parent companies.
If F1 becomes an unattractive marketing tool, as it did for all the big names which fell by the wayside in the 2000s, there would be no reason for them to continue.
So rather than attempting to attract entries from big manufacturers and pandering to potentially transient partners, F1 should concentrate on keeping proper racing teams like Manor on board.
Otherwise, who'll be left to fill up the grid when the bean counters come to call?
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Romain Grosjean Anticipating Improved Year Ahead
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Romain Grosjean has a positive outlook for the season ahead after enduring a torrid 2014.
His Lotus E22 was a poor car, made worse by an uncompetitive Renault power unit. Lotus have Mercedes engines for 2015 and Grosjean is hoping this, coupled to improved stability within the team, will bear fruit.
"Certainly things are getting better and better.
It was important for the team to sign Mercedes, to have the right power on board, to make sure that we don't have any questions from the outside. We know what we are getting there. The team also learned a lot last year and we made some positive changes.
There is a lot more stability this winter than there was from 2013/2014. We needed some time for things to move on and get everything stable. Things are going in the right direction now, which is nice.
Everyone is working hard to find more sponsors, and that is why it is quite interesting having Saxo Bank on board today. It's good news, because the more sponsors we get the more budget we have.
"
Grosjean had a difficult start to his F1 career. Dropped by Renault after coming in as a mid-season replacement for Nelson Piquet, Jr., the Frenchman went back to GP2 and won the title in 2011.
Brought back to F1 with Lotus-Renault, he was involved in a number of first-lap incidents in 2012 and received a one-race ban for causing a crash at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix. It seemed he would forever be considered equally talented and reckless, but had a breakthrough year in 2013.
A calmer, more mature Grosjean stood on the podium six times and is now regarded as a driver who deserves a shot with a big team.
Hopefully he'll have a car worthy of his ability in the season ahead.
Bernie Ecclestone Made 2nd-Tier Proposal to Strategy Group
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It has emerged that Bernie Ecclestone wants to create a second division of customer cars in F1 if more teams fail.
The commercial-rights chief made the proposal at a meeting of the F1 Strategy Group last week. Auto Motor und Sport's Tobias Gruner tweeted the revelation:
"Ecclestone wanted 2013 cars (RB9 chassis + Mecachrome V8) to race in F1 in case more teams leave. Plan rejected. AMuS http://t.co/wxKioybPdq
— Tobias Grüner AMuS (@tgruener) February 9, 2015"
A follow-up tweet from Gruner revealed the plan involved ex-Benetton and Renault chief Flavio Briatore and Colin Kolles—formerly involved with HRT, Spyker and Caterham. As their old chassis would have been used, it's prudent to add Red Bull to the list of co-conspiritors.
The idea was not met with the unanimous revulsion it deserved, but at least three teams—Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari—voted against it. For now at least, the proposal will not come to pass.
It's depressing that such an idea could even see the light of day.
Instead of coming up with unsavoury, self-serving drivel like this, those with the power to do so should—at the risk of sounding like a broken record—simply ensure a fair distribution of the sport's revenues and therefore all but guarantee no more teams will go to the wall.
Sadly, the weight of their own wallets appears to be more important than the future of F1.
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