Former Formula 1 driver turned Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle believes Ferrari must replace Kimi Raikkonen if they want to win championships.
The Finn has been performing well for much of 2018, however, up against the younger lions around him, hasn’t got the job done when it matters with his points tally of just 68 after seven races as proof.
Rumblings have begun that the Scuderia is open to retaining the 38-year-old for another season, but Brundle doesn’t think he is doing the job even the Italian team wants from him.
“l know he’s one of the most popular drivers around, but after another mistake in qualifying [in Canada], he finished nearly 30 seconds behind his team-mate on Sunday,” he wrote on his Sky Sports column.
“What are they going to do? In my view, Kimi has reached the end of the road. He still shows a flash of real speed from time to time but he can’t relentlessly deliver the required race pace any more.
“Nor is he working as an effective rear-gunner to Seb[astian Vettel].”
Instead, the well-respected pundit sees two alternatives that Ferrari must seriously consider if they want to achieve their desired results.
“Winning the Constructors’ Championship is super-important to Ferrari, they don’t put the list of their titles on their road car dashboards for fun – and if they want to win it in this era against Red Bull or Mercedes they need a [Daniel] Ricciardo or a [Charles] Leclerc alongside Vettel next year.”
Also Read:
The main hurdle to that is thought to be the four-time world champion himself, who is well-known as the lead driver at Maranello and is happy with Kimi alongside.
“Vettel needs to deal with that,” was Brundle’s response standing by his wish to see a change.
Ricciardo is out of contract with Red Bull at the end of the year, while Leclerc is already showing his potential with three top 10’s in the past four race in a Sauber that isn’t a midfield leader.