Jenson Button has also been mentioned but ruled out the move in Hungary.
Ferrari are keen to sign a driver who can support Alonso’s speed and
consistency and allow the team to fight for the constructors’ championship.
Red
Bull’s Mark Webber had contact with the team before electing to stay
with Red Bull and while there is a feeling that any of the aforementioned
drivers may perform better than Massa, it would not be guaranteed.
Ferrari feels that Raikkonen, currently fourth in this year’s championship is
a safer bet: quick, consistent, and a man who worked well with the team last
time around, even if he did not prove to be a natural leader.
It is also believed that his recruitment would be agreeable to Alonso which is
not the case with Lewis Hamilton, who is out of contract with McLaren at the
end of the year. Hamilton and the Spaniard had a famously stormy
relationship at McLaren five years ago.
A potential sticking point, however, is that Ferrari president Luca di
Montezemolo and Raikkonen are not believed to have parted on the best of
terms. It remains to be seen whether that proves to be an insurmountable
obstacle.
Another former Ferrari driver had somewhat less to be pleased with. Michael
Schumacher‘s drive at the Hungarian grand prix descended into a
comedy of errors. He began by parking his Mercedes
out of position causing the start to be aborted while his car was wheeled
into the pit lane. The 43 year-old then incurred a drive-through penalty for
pitlane speeding and had to stop again due to a puncture. Although he fought
his way up through the field with typical tenacity, his day ended in
retirement from 18th place.
History repeated: Briton beats familiar foe in Budapest
2007 1 Hamilton 2 Raikkonen
Lewis Hamilton put on an imperious display, leading the Hungarian Grand Prix
from first to last to hold off Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari. The biggest point
of controversy came during qualifying, when Hamilton was held up by his
team-mate and championship rival Fernando Alonso. The episode prevented
Hamilton recording a final lap and Alonso, who would have been in pole, was
dropped to sixth on the grid and ultimately came fourth.
2009 1 Hamilton 2 Raikkonen
Hamilton claimed his first victory of the season, with Kimi Raikkonen’s
Ferrari second again in Hungary. The McLaren driver took the lead after
Alonso, whose Renault started on pole, made an early pit stop. The result
marked a turnaround for McLaren, who started the season with an
uncompetitive car and struggled in most races even to get into the points.
Hamilton, the world champion, had not even managed to finish on the podium
until winning this race.
2012 1 Hamilton 2 Raikkonen
Yet again Hamilton wins for McLaren in Hungary, left, with Raikkonnen second
having pushed him all the way.
Most wins at the Hungaroring
4 Michael Schumacher
3 Ayrton Senna, Lewis Hamilton
2 Jenson Button, Damon Hill, Mika Hakkinen, Nelson Piquet, Jacques
Villeneuve