Formula 1: Top 5 replacement candidates for Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull Racing
By Asher Fair
Kimi Raikkonen
Scuderia Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, 38, has been the subject of perhaps the most intriguing driver replacement rumors of the year so far, as many people believe that Alfa Romeo Sauber rookie Charles Leclerc, the 2016 GP3 Series champion and 2017 Formula 2 champion who is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, will replace the 2007 Formula 1 champion in the 2019 season.
In fact, it was revealed in June that Ferrari are ready to replace the 38-year-old Finn, who is driving for the team on a one-year contract for the third consecutive season, with the 20-year-old Monegasque in the 2019 season, and later in June, it was revealed that Leclerc and Ferrari had reached an agreement that had simply not yet been signed.
More than one month has gone by since then, and there have been no official announcements in regard to who will be the teammate of four-time Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel in the 2019 season. But if Leclerc does end up getting the nod, leaving Raikkonen without a ride, and Raikkonen is not ready to retire, going to Red Bull Racing as Daniel Ricciardo’s replacement may make sense for Raikkonen.
While hiring Raikkonen would not be a conventional hire for Red Bull Racing, it would certainly be a strategic one. There are rumors that the fact that Red Bull Racing made 20-year-old Max Verstappen their number one driver may have had something to do with the fact that Ricciardo signed a contract to leave the team for Renault Sport next season.
With Raikkonen, Red Bull Racing would not have a problem establishing Verstappen as their number one driver. Raikkonen has done a great job in what has been effectively a support role for Vettel at Ferrari, and if he ends up being replaced by Leclerc (or even Fernando Alonso), he could very well do the same thing at Red Bull Racing.
With Raikkonen having not won a race since the 2013 season yet still being content at Ferrari from the 2014 season until now, it doesn’t seem like Red Bull Racing’s impending switch from Renault engines to Honda engines next season would deter him from wanting to drive for the team, either.
But would another veteran driver, one who hasn’t driven in Formula 1 for almost a decade, be an even better option?