The F1 Rumour Mill: Mark Webber's Replacement

When Mark Webber announced that he would be leaving the world of Formula One and his racing seat at the triple world champions Red Bull Racing, it sent the media into overdrive. Since then, everybody has wondered who will replace the Aussie and at the time this blog was published, it had still not been confirmed.

   At first Red Bull confirmed that the two drivers in the running for the vacant seat were former world champion Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo: a driver in Red Bull's sister team Toro Rosso, which is designed to allow young talent showcase their skills in order to determine whether or not they have the potential to graduate into the Red Bull team. This is commonly known as the Red Bull Young Driver's Program and it is one which Ricciardo has been part of for both the 2012 and currently the 2013 season. 

   The idea is once the drivers have proved themselves they are promoted into the Red Bull racing team, which then allows them to race arguably one of the best, if not the best racing car on the grid. However, this scheme has not been the most successful, with Sebastian Vettel being the only graduate that has progressed to the main team and so Red Bull are keen to show that their program works.
   We saw at the end of the 2011 season that Torro Rosso are relentless in their driver selections. They firmly believe that if a driver has not graduated within two seasons of racing with them that it is then time to bring in new drivers, which then aim for the same target as the previous drivers. This is exactly what happened to Sebastian Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari and so the pressure is on the two current drivers Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne to perform. With this being their second season within the team, you get the feeling that this is their chance to perform and show that they have the ability.
   Mark Webber's announcement has now added even more pressure to the two drivers, especially Ricciardo, as not only the media, but fans and those involved at Red Bull are watching the drivers much more closely. The pressure is certainly huge, but Ricciardo has proved that he can perform,  regularly qualifying in the top 10 in recent GP's, such as in Britain and Hungary. 

  Unfortunately because of the current pace of the Torro Rosso he and his team mate tend to go backwards during the race, but he regularly finishes races and is hardly ever involved in on track incidents and accidents. It is clear to see that the young man behind the wheel has the potential and you can see why Red Bull are considering him for the vacant seat.
   In comparison, Kimi Raikkonen, with 20 GP wins under his belt and with experience of 187 races, is the other candidate for the Red Bull seat.
  Since his return to the sport in 2012 he has impressed many pundits and Formula One enthusiasts as he has not appeared to have lost any of his race craft during his time away spent rallying. He is notoriously known for his speed on track and his lack of words off track, and the fact that he just gets on with the job in hand is perhaps one reason why Red Bull are considering him for the seat.
  A win in Melbourne at the beginning of the current season and consistently impressive race results means that he is currently in the title hunt, and Sebastian Vettel's closest contender.
  Raikkonen has also provided the first win for his team Lotus in many years and so clearly they will not want him to leave and the possibility of finding a replacement must daunt them. Would a move to Red Bull really be good for Raikkonen?

  Red Bull will also need to acknowledge that Vettel needs to be considered. Vettel himself has said that he will get a say in who partners him from next year and therefore he will have a big influence on the situation. During the time that Vettel and Webber have been team mates it is clear to see that they are not the best of friends, which is not expected. The infamous event at the Malaysian GP this season involving 'Multi 21' illustrated how strained their working relationship is. Obviously both drivers have mutual respect for each other, but the team will not want to have these situations arise again with the new team mate. 

  This poses the question of can two world champions operate within the same team realistically? If so, Red Bull will need to successfully manage the two drivers in order for it to work and possibly will need to let the two drivers race each other. 

   Both drivers in question can bring different things to the team, Raikkonen with experience and Riccairdo with young talent and the willingness to learn, amongst other factors. If Red Bull are looking for a long term solution and a chance to prove that their Young Driver's scheme works, it is the perfect opportunity to give Daniel Ricciardo his chance in the spotlight. 

 One thing is for certain though, it is bound to be another summer full of speculation and rumours, and not only regarding Red Bull but the other teams around them as well.