With 7 races left of the 2013 season, there are still many changes and confirmations regarding driver line-ups to be made.
Red Bull have now officially confirmed that the young Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo will be replacing Mark Webber and this now means that Red Bull have finished their business regarding drivers and can now focus on the championship as well as their development of next season's car. This takes a lot of focus off them as there is no longer speculation as to who will be driving alongside Sebastian Vettel and now we can focus on looking forward to seeing Ricciardo stepping up.
Another team which has recently confirmed their 2014 driver line-up is Ferrari. The confirmation of Ricciardo eliminated the chances of Raikkonen joining Red Bull and from there the rumours started to spread that Raikkonen was going to be re-joining the team he left in 2009. At the time it was just speculation, but the strongest indication that Raikkonen would be re-joining Ferrari was last week was when current Ferrari driver Massa confirmed that he would no longer be racing for the team from 2014. Although Raikkonen was then favourite to take the Ferrari seat, after an impressive display at the recent Italian GP, Hulkenberg was another contender. However, as soon as the next day, it was confirmed that Raikkonen would be partnering Fernando Alonso from the 2014 season.
Since the announcement last week, there have been mixed opinions on the effect Kimi Raikkonen's arrival will have on the team and Alonso. Some suggest that this is the strongest partnership on the grid, some think it will make Alonso raise his game and others think it will have a negative effect on Alonso as he will lose his status as 'number one driver' within Ferrari.
Admittedly, I think the partnership could be an amazing choice from Ferrari. For one thing you have two incredibly quick drivers, who are both capable of qualifying and racing well. Also, you also have two extremely consistent drivers, essential for if Ferrari want to challenge for the Constructor's Championship, with both drivers regularly scoring points and rarely being involved in on track incidents.
The competitiveness of both drivers could either end up being a negative or positive for the team. I think next season Ferrari will need to be on top of their drivers and will need to be able to manage them effectively in order for the partnership to work. They definitely do not want to be in the same situation as Red Bull in Malaysia this season and I'm sure that they will work hard to keep both drivers happy.
However the one thing that is casting a massive doubt over the team for next season has nothing to do with the drivers. There are huge regulation changes for the 2014 season, including the use of completely new engines. It may be that a particular supplier produces a better engine and this could see dominance from the teams which use that engine, and this may or may not include Ferrari.
To get the most out of their exciting new driver line-up Ferrari will need to build a very competitive car. This season Alonso has shown his disappointment and the need for the team to develop the car, and it would be even worse next season if both drivers are still complaining of an uncompetitive car. If Ferrari have a competitive car from the start of the season, I can see them being strong title contenders for both the Driver's and Constructor's championships. Overall I can see the return of Kimi being a very good bit of business for Ferrari and this confirms their 2014 driver line-up.
One team which has been put under extreme pressure this season is McLaren. They have not been able to score a podium finish this season let alone a win and it has been extremely disappointing for fans and the formula one world to see.
To add to the pressure of not having a competitive car, there are now more distractions surrounding the team, with them not confirming that Jenson Button will be driving for them next season. At the Italian GP it emerged that Button has yet to be confirmed by the team for next season. In my own opinion, at some point during that weekend McLaren should have dealt with the issue, either confirming that Button would be staying or leaving. This is just another unnecessary distraction when they should be focusing on doing a better job than they are already.
For me, I cannot see why they would want to replace Jenson Button for 2014. It isn't his fault that McLaren have produced a rubbish and uncompetitive car this season and he has given them their best finish of 5th this season too. It would be harsh and unfair to replace him and I think he deserves a chance to drive for them next season for the effort he has put in. He has also won more points than his team-mate this season and although this may be because Perez is still in his first season at McLaren, Jenson I believe still gets the best out of the car. He is often criticised for complaining about the car, but who wouldn't be if they had gone from winning races to battling for 8th or 9th place in the space of a season? I'm sure that even the best drivers such as Vettel, Alonso or Hamilton would struggle to get that car on the podium.
Perez is almost certain to stay, as he could potentially bring a lot of money to the team. With Vodafone likely to abandon McLaren at the end of the season, it is rumoured the Mexican telecommunications company Telmex will be the replacement, thus cementing Perez' seat at McLaren.
The problem with McLaren is that because of their terrible form this season, sponsors are less likely to want to be on their car and this has really frustrated me because I believe that if they had actually made a good car then bigger sponsors would have come forward and they wouldn't have to rely on their Mexican driver to help bring money to the team.
There has been speculation that Nico Hulkenberg would replace Jenson Button, which I would not be in favour of. As a strong supporter of Button, I just can't understand why he would be replaced. Fair enough if the car had been strong and he was complaining and not winning races but this is far from the truth. I think McLaren are forgetting that he is a World Champion, a master in changing conditions and an unbelievable racing driver. Just think back to Canada 2011.
Maybe I am still bitter about the incident between Hulkenberg and Hamilton in Brazil last season, but I still do not rate Hulkenberg as a McLaren driver. Perhaps his move to Sauber was not the best decision he has ever made. At the time, it looked as though he had made a sideways move but even worse, now it has looked to be a backwards move. I still think he should have stayed at Force India, as they gave him the chance to revive his career and I think he would have been more impressive with Force India as opposed to Sauber this season.
So what if this is Jenson Button's last season at McLaren? I really hope it isn't.
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