As Formula One enters its summer break, teams will be left with some tough decisions regarding the selection of drivers who will fill their vacant seats for the 2014 season.
Of particular interest to Australian fans will be the seat at Red Bull Racing, left empty by Mark Webber, who has chosen to drive for Porsche in the World Endurance Championship next year.
Who then is in pole position to obtain the seat alongside Sebastian Vettel?
Several names have been thrown around, but it appears that the final decision rests on a match race between Finnish, Kimi Raikkonen and Australian, Daniel Ricciardo
Even though many would like to see young Ricciardo take the second seat besides Vettel, Red Bull will probably choose the ever-reliable Raikkonen over the Australian.
Since making his return to F1, the Finn has arguably been one of the most consistent drivers. He currently sits second in Drivers Championship and managed to chalk up a win in the opening race of 2013, the Australian GP.
He has 134 points in the bank, almost triple the amount secured by his Lotus teammate Romain Grosjean. He has popped the champagne in six of ten races this season and has not finished out of the points in any race.
From 187 race starts, Raikkonen has had 20 wins and 75 podiums and was the World Champion in 2007. Despite briefly pursuing a Rally career, the Finn has lost none of this consistency.
He keeps churning out the results and is a prolific point scorer in a team that has struggled for consistent performances. Raikkonen still remains an outside chance to contend for the World Driver’s Championship this year.
To compare Daniel Riccardio and Raikkonen’s performances this year is a bit like comparing apples with oranges. The Lotus car has been contending for race wins, whereas Toro Rosso have been trying to scrape together a few points here and there.
A more appropriate comparison is that between teammates. At Toro Rosso, in the 10 races this season, Ricciardo has been shaded by Frenchman, Jean Eric Vergne, who sits on 13 points, two clear of the Aussie.
Ricciardo, has however, performed considerably stronger in qualifying, showing his pace on fresh tyres. This seems to be the reason behind interest from Red Bull, and why Ricciardo appears to have an advantage over Vergne.
At 20 years of age, the Australian has untapped ability, and would be hoping that Red Bull follow the trend they adopted when Vettel was signed from sister team Toro Rosso.
Typically, development drivers like Vergne and Ricciardo are only given two years to impress. Therefore, if Ricciardo is not promoted to the vacant seat at Red Bull, his future in Formula One would become uncertain.
When the Red Bull think tank gather at a round table and consider who should be their number two driver next year, they may not consider who is the best driver available. Rather, they should be asking, who is the best teammate for Sebastian Vettel?
Vettel is an egocentric character, who is a diva in every sense of the word. He must be nurtured, encouraged, congratulated and most importantly, he must never be threatened.
The biggest threat to Red Bull next year will not come from Ferrari or Lotus or Mercedes. It will not come from aerodynamic efficiency, tyre pressures or engine reliability. Rather, the biggest threat to Red Bull will come from within, if the new number two driver upsets the apple cart, so to speak.
If poor little Vettel starts to feel that he is no longer the headline act. If the best supporting actor decides that he wants a little bit more. That’s why Red Bull must choose Raikkonen.
He is an experienced driver who has always produced consistent results. He is an ever reliable, unassuming, consummate professional that would be an unequivocal “yes man” at Red Bull. On the borderline of being boring, the “iceman” would be no danger of stealing precious little Vettel’s limelight.
In Daniel Ricciardo you have an opposite character. You have a young, brash, ambitious driver who is hungry and speaks with honesty. You have a kid trying to go fast, trying to win races and trying to beat whoever gets in his way.
He is Sebastian Vettel, just a few years younger. As he flashes his pearly whites and tells the droves of waiting media that he is going to win at all costs, and that he is going to beat his teammate, Vettel might just start to believe that he is a threat to his kingdom.
If Red Bull was to choose the best driver, with the most potential, who has the best chance for challenging for race wins, they would choose Daniel Ricciardo. If they are smart, they will choose Kimi Raikkonen instead.
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