Kimi Raikkonen: What next for the Iceman?

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)

In recent days there have been infinite numbers of discussions regarding Kimi Raikkonen‘s 2014 drive. There is no doubt that with Mark Webber out of contention, Raikkonen is now the cogwheel in the driver market. Once he makes his decision, there will be a procession of driver changes, which can even result in some ousted drivers finding their way back onto the grid.

First of all, a Lotus seat is in very high demand after good performances for the team, and automatically, that will trigger other changes as well.

But let us concentrate more on what Raikkonen should do rather than what teams should do to hire him. To start with, let’s look at his options:

1) Stay with Lotus

2) Move to Red Bull alongside Sebastian Vettel

3) No other feasible option – Ferrari is just too long a shot to come true given his fractious relationship with President Luca di Montezemelo.

The complicated politics of the Italian stable would be a strict no-no for someone like Raikkonen. Mercedes‘ doors are closed with a strong line-up. Ron Dennis still has the power to decide who drives for McLaren, so a return there is also not possible. The rest don’t look capable at the moment to give him a winning car.

When we look back at Raikkonen’s period at Ferrari and why he left them, it becomes clear why Lotus provide the best atmosphere for him. The Iceman likes to have things his way and concentrate on only driving the car.

Apart from the time on-track during the race weekends, he rarely spends time with the team. In fact, he doesn’t even care to spend too much time with his engineers. That is where he might face the problem at Red Bull.

In total contrast to Raikkonen, Vettel is a very dedicated and someone who wants to know whatever can be learnt about the car, so that he is well prepared when taking to the track. This makes him involved in discussions with his engineers for very long periods.

An interesting fact is that he is one of the last people to leave the paddock during the race weekends; extremely reminiscent of his mentor Michael Schumacher.

Like Schumacher, Vettel also has built the team around him. That could have been a problem for any other driver wanting to win races at Red Bull but Raikkonen is of a different breed altogether. He would care least about all those things until it directly affected the performance on his side of the garage.

Everybody knows that he is not a man of sentiments and if the team put him in a situation similar to that of Webber at the 2010 British Grand Prix, then he would not mince his words.

Another significant factor is Raikkonen ‘s high wage demands. If the Finn accepts the Red Bull offer then he could be the highest paid driver on the grid. In that sense, Red Bull would be the perfect destination for him.

But before making conclusions, we also need to take note of the fact that such a lucrative contract wouldn’t be for a short term, say one or two years: exactly what Raikkonen would be looking for after turning 34 this October.

Coming to Lotus, two things Eric Boullier needs to ensure that Raikkonenon is on board, both financially and in terms of the car.. It is no secret that Lotus are not financially secure to the levels of the ‘big four’ and after news came out that the team were late in paying him recently, one wonders whether just money would be enough of an incentive for the party-loving Iceman.

Before a party-lover, Raikkonen is first of all a driver and all a driver desires is a good car. The performance in Hungary might make him think twice. Nothing in Formula 1 is straightforward and same is the case here.

Next year the new regulations come into effect and with both Lotus and Red Bull most probably sharing the same engine, the Enstone outfit will surely be at a disadvantage given that Red Bull are Renault’s ‘works’ team.

Everything said and done, just one name might decide it all: Adrian Newey.

It will be a very interesting few weeks leading up to the summer break where Red Bull generally confirms their driver line-up for next season. The silly season started long back and with the announcement of Webber’s retirement, the rumours stepped up a level, but the feeling is that it is yet to reach its climax.