The third year of Kimi Raikkonen in Ferrari
The Finnish driver agreed to two seasons starting in 2014 with an option for a third, but according to his results dressed in red, it would not be signed under the same economic conditions. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 12 million euros per season (excluding bonuses for results) are far from what the team will propose to continue for another year.
His signing for Ferrari was undoubtedly a morale boost for the team, which promised a duo of champions alongside Fernando Alonso and was compared to couples like Senna and Prost at McLaren. However, there was not a single spark between them, at least not with the cars on the track: the Asturian outscored him by 106 points - 161 to Kimi's 55, finishing 12th in that championship. A disappointing year for someone who had impressed at Lotus with 15 podiums in two seasons, including two victories.
Now, the last driver who made Ferrari a champion is not coming out well against his current teammate, another champion like Sebastian Vettel: the German's five podiums (with a victory in Malaysia) contrast with the Finnish driver's only appearance on the podium, in Bahrain. He is currently 4th in the standings, but a single bottle of champagne uncorked with Ferrari's improved performance is not enough in Maranello.
The main drawback of his departure would be finding the right replacement. Vettel would not support the arrival of Ricciardo. The only plausible option would be a driver who was already rumored for Ferrari before opting for Raikkonen: Nico Hulkenberg, the reigning champion of the 24 Hours of Le Mans who has been fighting in the middle class of F1 with his Force India (he is 12th in the standings, only scoring in two races).