Red Bull’s Sensational Plan. Räikkönen, new Vettel’s team-mate?

A mega-comeback is preparing in Formula 1. The sensational Red Bull plan: Kimi Räikkönen (31) should drive next year next to Sebastian Vettel!

11.07.2011 - 23:00
By HELMUT UHL and DOROTHEA JANTSCHKE

Everything is still top secret! But BILD learnt: at the highest level, the Finnish world champion from 2007 (with Ferrari) is being touted as the successor of Mark Webber (34).

The facts:

● Kimi Räikkönen left the Formula 1 in 2009. Since then he’s driving rallies for Citroën. His main sponsor there is – Red Bull. The Finn has a contract until the end of 2012 with the beverage manufacturer. Already in 2010, Kimi was in conversations with the bosses to be Vettel’s team-mate, but he wanted to keep on rallying. Now he seems to have changed his mind.

● Red Bull Motorsports-boss Helmut Marko told BILD two weeks ago: "Webber wants to drive in 2012 for us. But we have other options. I don’t want to talk about it now. "

● Webber himself has upset the bosses with his resistance against the team orders on Sunday at Silverstone ("Stay behind Vettel" - but he kept on pushing). He must report. Webber: "If they want to fire me, I have to accept that."

● Young drivers like Daniel Ricciardo (22/HRT) or Sebastien Buemi (22/Toro Rosso) are not ready yet. Marko: "We need a second winning driver to win the Constructors' Championship. It brings a lot of money. "

● McLaren's world champion Lewis Hamilton (26), who had brought himself into play at Red Bull, got rejected by the top boss Dietrich Mateschitz: "He definitely doesn’t drive for us."
But very likely Räikkönen! He recently confided to a Finnish journalist: "I have never said that my Formula 1 career is over."

And, Vettel and Räikkönen are friends. To the serious question, whom he would like as a teammate, Vettel recently said: "Kimi."

Source: Bild.de
Courtesy: Mar

Lewis Hamilton: Button is my best team-mate

Lewis Hamilton insists Jenson Button is the best team-mate he has had in Formula One

The McLaren duo are contesting their second season together, against the backdrop of suggestions last year they do not get on.

But Hamilton, 26, put that one to rest by confirming he rates 2009 world champion Button the bee's knees.

Hamilton, gunning for his second victory of 2011 in this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, said: "To be a good driver, it's not only about speed.

"It's about your presence in the team, the comments you make, your persona and your behaviour when you win and when you lose. Jenson is definitely the best overall package I've been up against."

Hamilton trails Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel in the world championship by 34 points. Button is another 13 points behind, in fourth place behind Vettel's partner Mark Webber.

The Red Bull drivers have had their in-house rows but remain a huge obstacle to Hamilton as he seeks to add to his 2008 world crown.

Hamilton admitted: "I have to beat Red Bull. They have the best car.

"The last time I drove at Barcelona, during winter testing, the car had no grip. I've downforce now and I'll be more competitive in the race."

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes have transformed the performance of their MP4-26 car in recent weeks.

The team completed fewer laps in winter testing than anyone else due to reliability problems. But Hamilton and Button have finished every race this year.

Hamilton also expects a close battle with local hero Fernando Alonso.

The double world champion finished one place ahead of the Brit in Turkey last time out and the Ferrari star will have the crowd's support in his home race.

Hamilton said: "There's mutual respect between us. He has some serious talent. He's very, very quick but not impossible to beat. No one is."

The McLaren duo will be boosted by more than 10 new upgrades this weekend.

McLaren's engineering director Tim Goss said: "We have about 10-12 upgrades, some of which will be recognisable from the outside and some that will not be."

Vodafone UK is giving all its customers the chance to be at some of Britain's best events, including exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of the McLaren Technology Centre and the chance to win tickets to the 2011 Formula One Santander British Grand Prix.

Source: The Sun

Hamilton denies team-mate fall-out is looming

Lewis Hamilton has downplayed concerns that McLaren could be in for a rough season should their MP4-26 move to the front of the pack

Despite having two World Champions on the payroll in Hamilton and Jenson Button, last season proved to be a harmonious one for McLaren.

Many believe this was because the McLaren drivers were not regularly squabbling over race wins while Button's quest was further undone by his poor qualifying performances.

But should McLaren's new MP4-26 prove to be a regular race winner, F1 commentator Martin Brundle reckons the duo will soon find themselves fighting on the track - and off it.

Hamilton, though, is adamant himself and Button can avoid the pitfalls that befell Red Bull rivals Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber when they were fighting each other for race wins in 2010.

"We're both racers, but we're both sensible," the 2008 World Champ told the official F1 website.

"We both know that to win in Formula One you need the best equipment. Is there any sense in Jenson and me fighting against each other if it damages our chances of having the fastest car?

"As we've said all along, we need to work together to develop our car, move it into the best possible position, and only then can we start thinking about the World Championship. What's the use in battling tooth and nail over 10th place?

"Having said that, Jenson and I also get on very well together - we've both grown up within British motorsport, we've shared a lot of the same experiences and it's brought us to the same point in our lives, driving for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and doing our very best to win the World Championship for ourselves and our team."

As for whether McLaren's MP4-26 will rise to the front, Hamilton insists it's too early to tell.

"Performance is relative. You can pull out all the stops over the winter and still not know what shape you'll be in at the first race.

"All I can say is that every single person within our organisation has been flat out to ensure the car is the best it can be.

"Will that be good enough? We won't know until we get to Bahrain next month."

Source: Planet-F1