Kimi Raikkonen’s dilemma: Ferrari or Mclaren for 2014?

It’s that time of the year again in Formula One, where the rumour-mongers are working overtime. Speculations do the rounds inside the paddock , there are talks behind closed doors and even secret negotiation meetings. Formula One is abuzz on and off-track.

While Kimi Raikkonen was one of the contenders for the much-talked about seat at Red-Bull alongside Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen now finds himself speculatively looking at Ferrari or Mclaren-Mercedes for the 2014 season.

With Daniel Ricciardo being considered as the favorite to join Vettel, Kimi has limited options. Even though there were hopes of a possible driver’s Championship at the start of the season with some good results, the Lotus team seem to have lost their way coming towards the end of the season. Kimi, however, has driven hard throughout the year to stay on the forth spot in the driver’s tally.

Here’s a look at Kimi’s options of joining Ferrari or Mclaren and which seems to be the best fit for him.

Ferrari : Money talks again?

Kimi Raikkonen won the 2007 Brazilian GP with Ferrari

While Felipe Massa is most likely to vacate the Ferrari seat after a disappointing stay (unless he wins a race or two or gets a couple of podiums in the current season), Kimi Raikkonen wouldn’t mind going back to his ex-employers. It was with Ferrari that he won his only Driver’s Championship back in 2007.

The ‘Iceman’ was arguably the highest paid driver in F1 during that time. But if Ferrari can give him a good deal, he is most likely to grab the opportunity. There is no better team that can take the fight to the charging Red-Bulls than Ferrari, which could probably help Kimi take another shot at a much awaited and wanted second title.

However, Kimi needs to be careful with Ferrari’s driver policy. Fernando Alonso will most likely (if he stays with Ferrari) be their number one driver and Kimi would probably be playing the second fiddle. That’s how it has been at Ferrari.

As history would have it Rubens Barrichello was second to Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa was the dutiful second driver to Fernando Alonso.

Ferrari never really had two drivers gunning for the Championship. Moreover, Ferrari has always wanted to win the driver’s championship rather than the Constructor’s title. But with technical regulations undergoing a sea change in 2014, Kimi joining Ferrari might be the boost that Ferrari require.

McLaren: A faster car please

Kimi Raikkonen won the 2005 Turkish GP with Mclaren

Mclaren, one of Kimi’s ex-employers for a significant time (2002-2006), would be more than eager to have him back in the team. With them, Kimi had finished a two runners-up position in the driver’s tally(2003 and 2005).

But the comfort factor set aside, the biggest concern for Kimi , if he heads to Mclaren, would be whether he could be driving a really fast and competitive car. If one was to look at their performance this year, the Mclaren is clearly struggling. With no podium finishes as yet, they are fifth on the Constructor’s table and are being chased by Force India.

Kimi would probably have to make the toughest choice of his career. While Ferrari seem to be a better choice but thanks to the new regulations, there could be surprises in the pecking order. It will be really important to have a car setup that gives the best reliability but critically for Kimi, be competitive and eventually enable him to win races.