7 Drivers Who Could Replace Kimi Raikkonen At Ferrari In 2017

We love Kimi Raikkonen. He’s hilarious. The Finnish driver speaks his mind, doesn’t give a crap about anyone else and just focuses on the job in hand. As we found out ourselves recently, he’s also great fun to interview.

But recently he hasn’t been doing so well in F1 and with the driver market for 2017 set to move into a higher gear over the next few months, we thought we’d take a look at who Ferrari might look to for a potential replacement (in no particular order):

1. Daniel Ricciardo

In terms of drivers who are available, Ricciardo probably isn’t the best option, as he’s under contract with Red Bull for next season anyway. But he’s definitely one of the strongest candidates for the role, should it become available.

Ricciardo has yet to match the success of his breakthrough F1 year in 2014, where he won three races, but Red Bull took time to find its feet in 2015 and the opportunities either haven’t appeared or have disappeared through team/strategy error so far in 2016.

But there’s no denying Riccciardo is on strong form and is one of the brightest young talents on the grid at the moment. He has a healthy chunk of experience and out-performed Sebastian Vettel when the two were team-mates at Red Bull. He’s proved he is one to watch and must be on Ferrari’s radar for the future.

2. Valtteri Bottas

Replace one Finn with another? Bottas was linked to a Ferrari seat last year and has performed pretty well over the last few seasons, although people haven’t noticed as much thanks to Williams’ slip in performance. He’s still performing well, regularly beating Felipe Massa and his recent podium in Canada was further proof of this.

Switching to Ferrari would be a big step up for Bottas, but he has strong speed and talent, plus you never hear anything bad about him from the people he has worked with. Ferrari would be a good move up if he wants to fight for victories.

3. Sergio Perez

Some might expect Nico Hulkenberg to be featured on this list but over his last few years at Force India, his team-mate Perez has regularly overshadowed him. Despite the team’s small budget, it has produced a solid 2016 car and Perez has been able to extract more from it, scoring two podiums so far this year.

The Mexican also impressed in 2015 and finished 20 points clear of Hulkenberg in the championship. He’s really stepped it up and looks like a different driver on the track compared to his early Sauber days and his one year at McLaren. It’s no surprise he is now being linked to a Ferrari seat, instead of Hulkenberg…

4. Romain Grosjean

The Frenchman has performed very well in his first season with the Haas F1 team and given the American outfit’s links with Ferrari, it’s not all that surprising his name has come up in the rumour mill.

Grosjean turned his career around after an erratic 2012 season (when he caused THAT Spa pile-up) and has enjoyed a few low-key, but quietly impressive campaigns at Lotus since. Moving to Haas was a risk but he put in some great early drives to score points in Australia and Bahrain. With a good amount of experience, he is well placed to make the move up to a top team.

5. Max Verstappen

This one isn’t likely at all, following his switch to Red Bull mid-way through the 2016 season so far. His current team was eager to secure his talent, most likely due to other teams (like Ferrari) sniffing around.

But the 18-year-old has certainly proved his talent and raw pace despite only being in his second season. He’s also learned pretty quickly too. But while Verstappen has turned heads with his eye-catching results, there is another driver in the Red Bull family who stands more of a chance of moving to Ferrari…

6. Carlos Sainz Jr.

Now Verstappen’s short-term future has been confirmed, attention had turned to Sainz and a potential switch to Ferrari. The two were team-mates last year and the start of 2016 at Toro Rosso, with Sainz proving to be a very admirable match.

The Spaniard may not have the machinery to win races like Verstappen, but he is doing well with the car package he has and recent top 10 results have proved this. He’s still a bit rough around the edges but I rate him very highly and he could have been a strong pick for Ferrari, but he’s now extended his Toro Rosso contract.

7. Nico Rosberg

The German driver and current championship leader is out of contract at the end of 2016. Should he lose the title and tensions with Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton increase, a move to Ferrari could be an option. He’ll want to remain at a front-running team and Ferrari could be one of the few choices available. Rosberg’s decision for 2017 could be big for the F1 driver market.

What other options do you think Ferrari has? Let us know and make sure you watch our exclusive interview with Kimi below (he even hugged Alex back!).