Raikkonen and Leclerc to swap seats
#1

Kind of expected on one hand and maybe not on the other. Big downward move for Kimi I hope he is getting a lot of money he should spice up the midfield even more!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/45477134

Does this open the Sauber door for Antonio Fuoco for next season I wonder?
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#2

So Kimi moves back to the team that gave him his big break in F1. Great move for Sauber as they get all that knowledge and experience to help them develop their car, especially as the rumours are Ferrari are paying Kimi's wages and actually retaining him as a Ferrari driver... maybe as insurance if Leclerc can't hack it? But I don't I don't think any if this is the right move. It smacks of a split decision and dithering.

1) Imagine you're Leclerc, you now know Ferrari don't totally have confidence in you, and are keeping Kimi around as insurance. That's got to knock your confidence.
2) Kimi is now going to be disgruntled for the rest of the season, maybe this is a bribe to try and make him happy with team orders again, honestly I have no idea what Kimi is thinking, but being benched essentially to see if the new guy is up to the task would piss me off.
3) Ferrari have other youngsters waiting in the wings. What does this say to them, and given the strictly limited seats available in F1, sticking the soon to be 39 year old Kimi in a Sauber is just a bad image for the sport.

Glad to see Leclerc in a Ferrari, and I look forward to seeing what he can do, but I am equally baffled and disappointed that Kimi's F1 career is being kept on life support at Sauber rather than pulling the plug. It's going to be hard to watch for us Kimi fans.
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#3

I called this months ago. Great move for all involved, even Kimi.

Ferrari get some fresh blood in and can bring LeClerc up to speed alongside Vettel prior to the shake up in 2021.

Sauber get their hands on an experienced driver, possibly at no cost to themselves and Kimi get’s to race again, away from the title politics.


Purple Banana (a.k.a John or JB  Smile )
"The flowers of victory belong in many vases." - Michael Schumacher
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#4

I echo whats been said. Jody covered alot of the bases.

Additionally: Maybe we will be in for a shock on just how good the 2019 Sauber could be. Theres so much talk about team collaborations/alliances/servant teams, that there has to be a great deal of it going on, one could argue its plain to see. Maybe Ferrari have pumped so much data towards Sauber for the coming seasons. Their 2018 was radical enough, and its in-season development has been one of the best so far. Come 2019, to help convince RAI with this seat swapping Sauber are turning up with a top tier package.

My previous sig was obsolete, McLaren ain't disappointing Heshy no more.
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#5

Having sat back and had a think about this I feel its a good move:

A) Leclerc is an upcoming driver and the trend of getting people into the cars at a younger age is upon us like it or not. Personally I have always thought if you are good enough age should not matter (either older or younger).

B) The reality is Raikkonen is not a very top driver any more, he is good for sure but Ferrari need a better driver than him to challenge for the Constructors championship although of course in the short term I may have to swallow my words. Leclerc potentially has a great future my gut feeling is he will absolutely be up there with Verstappen in future years and the Hamilton Vettel era could well be replaced with the Verstappen/Leclerc era (Incidentally my thought process tells me this MAY push Max more towards Mercedes for his next contract)

C) Keeping Raikkonen in the sport is good for the health of F1 he has a strong following. I do realise he is taking up space for a potentially young driver but he would also be a great mentor. I am hoping that is the end of Marcus Ericsson and may as I said above allow Antonio Fuoco or Antonio Giovinazzi to be a Sauber driver next season.

D) It will kick Vettel in the backside, no longer can he accept his teammate is there for him but for himself. I think that can only be good for Vettel, may give him an edge he is missing. It could of course go the other way but I dont think so.
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#6

Also isn’t there rumour that Kimi will eventually part own Sauber, how he will head into management I have no idea??

I am gutted Kimi is leaving Ferrari, but he was never backed for a shot when Seb came in, he knew I think, Leclerc will be interesting he has a championship winning car much like Lewis did in 2007, so let’s see how he handles it? Ferrari fans should be happy really two very very good drivers. As for Kimi going to Sauber it will be like watching Barrichello and Massa in their final years, personally it would be more fitting if he had retired, for as a Kimi fan I don’t want to see him languishing in the middle with little hope of a podium! I don’t think he will do two years tbh and that seat could of gone to a upcoming driver. I think the fact 75000 ppl signed a petition to keep him and Liberty Wanted to keep a popular figure in the sport is a big factor but for me it’s a little wrong. Oh well Kimi enjoyed watching you and you’ve had a great career all the best to him
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#7

I don't know LotusLover, I really, really don't. Currently it seems that Kimi will be a Ferrari driver next season, and "loaned" to Sauber. The truth is I'm pretty certain with all the Fiat cash and young Ferrari engineers "loaned" to Sauber so they can develop it is just a precursor to Sauber Alfa Romeo becoming Alfa Romeo and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Fiat Group. Those are my thoughts on it. I will say if Kimi doesn't spell the end of Ericsson I'll be wishing the whole endeavour fails so completely and utterly that the top brass at Ferrari pull the plug on the idea.

My gut as a Kimi fan is that I'm actually OK with Leclerc to Ferrari, for me it's the Kimi to Sauber bit I dislike.
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#8

(11-09-2018, 12:02 PM)Jody Barton Wrote:  I don't know LotusLover, I really, really don't. Currently it seems that Kimi will be a Ferrari driver next season, and "loaned" to Sauber. The truth is I'm pretty certain with all the Fiat cash and young Ferrari engineers "loaned" to Sauber so they can develop it is just a precursor to Sauber Alfa Romeo becoming Alfa Romeo and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Fiat Group. Those are my thoughts on it. I will say if Kimi doesn't spell the end of Ericsson I'll be wishing the whole endeavour fails so completely and utterly that the top brass at Ferrari pull the plug on the idea.

My gut as a Kimi fan is that I'm actually OK with Leclerc to Ferrari, for me it's the Kimi to Sauber bit I dislike.

That last paragraph is exactly my sentiments too. Finnish at the top not mid table(see what I did there lol)

(11-09-2018, 09:52 AM)NeilP Wrote:  Kind of expected on one hand and maybe not on the other. Big downward move for Kimi I hope he is getting a lot of money he should spice up the midfield even more!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/45477134

Does this open the Sauber door for Antonio Fuoco for next season I wonder?

Surely Giovanazzi would of been more fitting than Fuoco??
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#9

Lotus - Surely Giovanazzi would of been more fitting than Fuoco??

I would have thought so too. However I would have thought rather than be a test driver Ferrari would have found him a seat much as they did Leclerc, maybe that is a reflection on how high Ferrari thought of Leclerc.

Edit: Maybe one of them will be at Haas next season!!!!
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#10

LotusLover I'm with you on this. Watching Barrichello and especially Alonso pootle around in towards the back of the midfield just wasn't / isn't dignified.

Also agree with you in regards to Giovinazzi versus Fuoco. I still maintain that judging him on his spins in China when Wehrlein confirmed there was a mechanical issue with the car that weekend is harsh. He out qualified Ericsson comprehensively both weekends.
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