Ferrari's 2014 Formula 1 driver line-up verdict now imminent
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo says the team's 2014 Formula 1 driver line-up will be decided within days - and he did not rule out a return for Kimi Raikkonen
With Ferrari having evaluated for several weeks whether to replace Felipe Massa for next year, di Montezemolo revealed at Monza that decision time was imminent.
"We will think of this [the 2014 drivers] immediately after Monza because we wanted to arrive at this weekend without any strange pressure," said di Montezemolo to reporters in the paddock at the Italian Grand Prix.
"We will take a decision in the next days - and we haven't taken any kind of decision yet. We haven't signed a contract with anybody. We will talk with Massa, then we have our opinion, and then we will decide."
Although Ferrari insists that a good performance at the Italian GP could still be enough for Massa to keep his seat, the team has been seriously evaluating other options.
And although most of the current speculation has revolved around Raikkonen, di Montezemolo said that the shortlist was longer than just the Finn.
"We can take somebody else... we have several names," he said.
NO BARRIERS TO RAIKKONEN RETURN
However, di Montezemolo did make it clear that despite the circumstances of Raikkonen's departure at the end of 2009 to make way for Alonso, it would not be impossible for the Finn to return.
When asked if he would be comfortable working with Raikkonen again after what happened before, di Montezemolo said: "What happened? We won a world championship.
"Kimi is a good driver. For us it was a big satisfaction for him to win the first championship without Michael [Schumacher] and without Ross [Brawn].
"In any case, it is not a problem, but also there are some possibilities with other drivers. But there is also the possibility like last year that we decide to continue with Felipe."
He added: "We haven't taken any kind of decision yet at all. In any decision you have to be very careful because you have a plus or minus.
"Now is time to take the decision. Before was too early, but we will take it now."
Have your say on Ferrari's driver options in the new-look AUTOSPORT forum
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Mercedes form leaves Wolff in two minds on F1 2025 driver path
Interview: Newey’s vision on what F1 should be
The ironic reason Newey thinks Red Bull hasn't been caught in F1 yet
How Ferrari has kept itself in the F1 hunt despite no major upgrades
Sainz: Red Bull’s F1 advantage may be wiped away by Ferrari upgrades
Is Ferrari's revolution closing the gap to Red Bull?
Dale Coyne Racing retains Harvey for Long Beach IndyCar race
How to watch WRC's Croatia Rally: schedule, line-up and more
McLaren F1 team bracing for "damage limitation" in Chinese GP
How Porsche won, lost and won in Misano Formula E mayhem
The secrets of F1 turbocharging explained
Why Alpine’s rigorous training camp yields telling insights into its juniors
Ranking Derek Warwick’s top 10 greatest races
The ironic reason Newey thinks Red Bull hasn't been caught in F1 yet
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments