Formula 1's Latest Rumours and Talk: Kimi Raikkonen's Future, Mercedes and More
Kimi Raikkonen is a man under pressure.
The 2007 world champion's latest on-track incident in Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix came at the worst possible time for the Finnish driver, whose Formula One career is now in the balance.
But despite the 35-year-old's lacklustre run of form—he has just one podium finish this season, while team-mate Sebastian Vettel has five—Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene has confirmed he will give Raikkonen time to rescue his F1 future.
Toto Wolff, meanwhile, can predict the future, and the Mercedes executive director is convinced the 2015 title race will go down to the season finale for the second year in succession after Nico Rosberg's latest victory.
Rosberg proved his doubters wrong by winning in Austria, and Wolff believes the German will keep Lewis Hamilton on his toes until the final chequered flag of the season falls in November's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Nico Hulkenberg's future holds all sorts of possibilities after the finest seven days of his career, which saw him win the 24 Hours of Le Mans before securing Force India's best result of the current F1 season.
Hulkenberg may be presented a number of offers—both in and outside of the pinnacle of motorsport—for 2016, and there have been some conflicting suggestions over just where the German will be driving next season and beyond.
Closing this week's roundup are engine-related stories concerning Red Bull and Honda, who are both reluctant to change their current plans—which perhaps explains why the teams are nowhere to be seen in 2015.
Kimi Raikkonen to Be Given Time by Ferrari
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Kimi Raikkonen made his second major mistake in as many weekends in Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix, but Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene is adamant it is too early to make any decisions over his future.
The 2007 world champion endured his worst weekend of the season at the Red Bull Ring, where he was eliminated from the first part of qualifying before crashing out of the race on the opening lap.
Raikkonen's collision with Fernando Alonso on the back straight came a fortnight after he missed out on a podium finish in the Canadian GP due to a spin, gifting third place to Williams driver Valtteri Bottas.
With Raikkonen's Ferrari contract set to expire at the end of this season, Bottas is thought to be among the contenders to replace the former Lotus driver at the Prancing Horse should the team decide to find a new team-mate for four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel.
Despite admitting he has a deadline to finalise Ferrari's 2016 lineup—the team have traditionally announced their driver plans in time for their home race at Monza but have bucked that trend in the last couple of years—Arrivabene insists he will not make any knee-jerk decisions in light of Raikkonen's poor form.
The Italian told Autosport's Glenn Freeman:
"There are many many things to consider and now is too early to tell him something or to decide something.
I could look too defensive or protecting Kimi, but we are not even halfway through the season.
Try to be in my position, and going to Kimi to say you are out or you are in or whatever.
I want the guys to be concentrated on what they are doing and to give the maximum.
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In the immediate aftermath of Raikkonen's solitary podium finish of the season to date in April's Bahrain Grand Prix, Arrivabene, according to Autosport's Ben Anderson and Lawrence Barretto, said the Finn's ability to maintain his performance level would decide whether he would be offered a contract extension.
But Arrivabene has elaborated on his comments, telling Freeman that Raikkonen will not only be judged on his results but his relationship with team members and his work rate.
Mercedes Expect Another Lewis Hamilton-Nico Rosberg Title Decider
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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has predicted the title fight between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will once again go down to the final race of the season after the latter's victory in the Austrian Grand Prix.
Rosberg's third victory in four races at the Red Bull Ring has cut Hamilton's points advantage to just 10 after the eighth round of 2015.
After dominating from pole position in Spain and inheriting victory in Monaco, Rosberg's latest victory was arguably the most impressive of his career, with the German bouncing back from a mistake in qualifying to snatch the lead at the first corner and beat Hamilton in a straight fight.
Rosberg's unspectacular start to the season, as Hamilton claimed three wins in the opening four races to establish a 27-point advantage at April's Bahrain GP, suggested he would be unable to replicate his performances of 2014, when the German took the championship battle down to the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi.
But having watched his driver turn his fortunes around, Wolff believes Rosberg should not be underestimated and expects the title to be decided at the Yas Marina circuit on November 29.
Wolff told ESPN F1's Laurence Edmondson:
"I remember that the question came up about whether that would be the tipping point and he would become No.2 and I kept repeating that he is mentally very strong—particularly strong—and we have seen that today.
Most of the time they were under pressure because they kept pushing each other, we saw that in qualifying yesterday and then he was faultless today and had great speed during the race. I would just say he has that strength and it's going to go down to the wire.
"
Rosberg, via a video on his official Twitter account, said the Austrian GP was among "the easier wins" of his career, claiming the nature of his performance highlighted his improved racecraft.
Nico Hulkenberg Set for a Promotion or Another Sideways Step?
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Seven days after winning the iconic Le Mans 24 Hours race, Nico Hulkenberg produced his best performance of the 2015 Formula One season in Austria.
The German performed what he told Motorsport.com's Adam Cooper was a "small miracle" in qualifying by splitting the two Williams drivers before racing hard with Valtteri Bottas, ultimately crossing the finish line in sixth place.
Hulkenberg's result, along with Sergio Perez's ninth-placed finish, elevated Force India to fifth in the constructors' standings, but the 27-year-old may soon be setting his sights a little higher than that.
According to F1 journalist Tobias Gruner, Hulkenberg failed to deny he had been contacted by leading teams in the aftermath of his whirlwind week, suggesting he may finally be set to progress up the F1 pecking order.
But Sky Sports' Ted Kravitz, in stark contrast, claimed Hulkenberg—if he does indeed leave Force India at the end of 2015—will be making nothing more than another sideways step, having emerged as a contender for a drive with the Haas team, who will arrive on the grid next season.
A switch to the Ferrari-affiliated outfit would add up after Gene Haas, the team founder, recently told USA Today (h/t Autoweek) of his desire to lure drivers who had grown frustrated with their current teams.
Moving to a brand-new team would represent an almighty risk for Hulkenberg, although, considering that his F1 career may already be at a standstill, there exists an argument that he would have nothing to lose.
Either way, it seems as though he will emerge as a major figure in this year's driver market.
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Red Bull Unwilling to Become Ferrari's Plaything
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In a rare gesture of goodwill among front-running teams, Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne offered to supply engines to Red Bull Racing during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend.
As a direct result of Renault's incompetence, the four-time constructors' champions have fallen down the pecking order in 2015, failing to secure a podium finish in the opening eight races.
With the two companies, who've been embroiled in a long-running war of words, seemingly heading toward a divorce, Marchionne spoke of his willingness to help his rivals at Red Bull's home race, telling Sky Sports' Pete Gill of his "respect" for the team and how he'd be "more than glad" to help them "find their way again."
Although Red Bull ran Ferrari engines in 2006, and Scuderia Toro Rosso used the Italian manufacturer's powertrains between '07 and '13, Christian Horner was hardly receptive to Marchionne's proposition, telling the same source:
"That’s very kind of Sergio, but we have a contract with Renault for next year. I’m sure he would be very happy to give us an engine.
Red Bull were a customer of Ferrari for eight years with Toro Rosso so there is a long history between the two companies of knowing how each other operate.
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In an era when a team with serious championship-winning aspirations simply must have access to a works, tailor-made power unit—see the successes of Mercedes and Ferrari, who manufactured both their engine and chassis in 2015—Horner's rejection of Ferrari's offer is hardly surprising.
Indeed, Gill writes of Red Bull's fears of being "in the control" of Ferrari if they were become a customer team, explaining why the Milton Keynes-based team would rather persevere with Renault than risk becoming the Prancing Horse's plaything.
Honda Not Planning to Supply B-Team to Quicken McLaren Development
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Honda's exclusive technical partnership with McLaren has been one of their biggest disadvantages in 2015.
While their three rival engine manufacturers supply multiple teams with V6 turbo power units—eight of the 20 cars on this year's grid, for instance, are powered by Mercedes—Honda are only able to run two of their RA615H engines at any one time.
This has made it more difficult for the Japanese manufacturer to gain a full understanding of their powertrain, which is why McLaren have struggled to make meaningful progress across the opening eight races of the season.
Despite Manor sporting director Graeme Lowdon telling Motorsport.com's Jonathan Noble that the perennial backmarkers would be "open" to a change of engine partner for 2016, Honda—despite acknowledging the obvious benefits of such an agreement—have claimed they are not planning to supply another team next season.
Yasuhisa Arai, the Honda boss, told Motorsport.com's Adam Cooper: "It's a good idea but we don't have any such kind of plan. I concentrate on McLaren-Honda, one team, that's it."
McLaren's racing director, Eric Boullier, echoed Arai's thoughts, suggesting Honda are not yet in a strong enough position to consider a partnership with another outfit.
The Frenchman told the same source: "I think the project is not mature enough to take over a second team. I think a lot of [the] job can be done on dynos before we think about having a distraction of a second team."
Although Honda's commitment to McLaren is to be admired, their apparent unwillingness to broaden their horizons in the same way as Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault appears unwise.
But considering McLaren's wretched record in 2015—the team have recorded just one double-finish in the opening eight races—Honda would struggle to give their engines away at the moment.
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