Ferrari ouster reports stokes Kimi’s fire
ter than it is. Lending credence to the reports is the fact that Leclerc is the most impressive product of the Ferrari Driving Academy.
If he replaces Raikkonen — at 38 he is beginning to look his age on the track —he could rejuvenate the spirit of Ferrari with raw homegrown talent, much like Hamilton did as Mclaren Racing’s creation.
The story may of course have been wily timing by Ferrari, granting them buzzy press in the run up to France’s first race in 10 years. It clearly lit a fire under Raikkonen’s bottom, with the Finn scalding the timesheets throughout the race and broaching the podium in style, pulling off the most gorgeous passes on two drivers in world championship contention, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. Kimi on song is a sight to behold, even if it takes a scare to get him to shine.
There was no fear in Hamilton’s path as he stormed to victory from pole. It is turning into a see-saw season where fortunes flip every race as engines are upgraded and small tweaks work (or don’t). It is the kind of season where bookmakers will sweat.
They will have it tough the next few weeks. The French GP marked the start of the first-ever triple header in F1 history, where races will take place on three successive Sundays with the Austrian and British races coming up. This relentless schedule will be tough on teams, engineers and tyre-makers. There will be little time to regroup. This is the F1 World Cup.