Analysing Kimi Raikkonen's options in 2014

Race winner Sebastian Vettel (R) of Red Bull Racing celebrates on the podium with second placed Kimi Raikkonen (L) of Lotus following the German Grand Prix at the Nuerburgring on July 7, 2013 in Nuerburg, Germany. Could the duo actually be teammates next season? (Getty Images)

Robert Kubica’s injury led to Lotus-Renault looking for a new driver to lead their team in 2012. Enter Kimi Raikkonen, who rejoined F1 after a three-year sabbatical. The rest, as they say, is history.

Raikkonen took the team from their mid-table position to legitimate title contenders. Although Lotus did not win either the drivers’ or constructor’s championship in 2012, they were right up there with Red Bull and Ferrari.

Lotus-Renault’s form in 2013 can again be credited to Raikkonen. But all isn’t hunky-dory for the British team. When the Finn signed the contract in 2012, he had signed a 2-year deal, which is set to expire after 2013 season.

With Red Bull’s Mark Webber calling it quits at the end of the current season and Raikkonen a free-agent; it leaves the scramble for top drivers – Iceman included – wide open.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at Raikkonen’s option:

Raikkonen takes Webber’s vacant seat at Red Bull in 2014:

It seems surreal at the moment for Raikkonen fans. It will give the Finn a truly race-winning car and an opportunity to win the drivers’ championship again; just like he did at Ferrari in 2007.

Raikkonen will be 34 next year and this could his swan song of sorts. It will be beneficial to Red Bull too. With all due respect to Webber, Red Bull will have two legitimate drivers in Sebastian Vettel and Raikkonen trading race-wins. It will also give Vettel some competition within the team.

Ironically, it will also be beneficial to competing teams like Ferrari and Mercedes as they can take advantage of two extra competitive teammates at Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton’s and Fernando Alonso’s time together at McLaren, being a case in point.

Raikkonen extends his contract with Lotus-Renault:

Like it or not, this is as much a possibility as the previous option. After all, it was Lotus-Renault who gave him a chance to enter F1 again. Raikkonen has spent almost two years with the team and is completely at ease with them.

The Finn has a young partner in Romain Grosjean and he knows he’s the main man in the team. At Red Bull, he will start as the Australian’s replacement.

Moreover, Lotus is improving leaps and bounds. They have the most tyre-efficient car in F1 at the moment. If they can match Red Bull’s speed, they might even be title contenders in 2014. And who better than Raikkonen himself, to lead them to the championship?

Iceman will have an opportunity to go down as one of the best drivers ever to have raced for a legendary team like Lotus. Meanwhile, Red Bull will have no problems promoting one of the Torro-Rosso drivers and continue with Vettel as their number one driver.

Raikkonen joins another F1 team:

A highly unlikely scenario, given the fact he already races for one of the top teams in the sport. Even so teams like Mercedes, Ferrari or McLaren would consider the option of hiring the Finn if he became available.

Mercedes have two young and extremely competitive drivers in Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, so they are out of the running. Ferrari have generally never had two top drivers in their line-up and that looks unlikely to change.

That leaves only McLaren, who are competing with Force India in the Constructors championship this season. Despite past relationships, it remains unlikely Raikkonen will rejoin a struggling McLaren.

Raikkonen leaves F1:

Worst come to worst, but this is still very much possible considering past events. Fans who have followed Raikkonen’s career know that anything’s possible with the ‘Kimster.‘

If Raikkonen is not motivated enough to continue in F1, he might look towards Rallying (again), Nascar or Le Mans as his future options and could well follow the career path of path of Juan Pablo Montoya, Rubens Barrichello and now Webber.

All said and done, the above options are subject to change if one of the top drivers decides to switch loyalties. But things sure will be interesting come the end of the season. It will be even more so if Kubica were to make a dramatic return.