Jacques Villeneuve has blasted Ferrari’s decision to sign Kimi Raikkonen for 2014.<\/p>\n
Prior to his slump in form and Ferrari’s decision to push him into sabbatical at the end of 2009, the Finn won the Italian team’s last world title in 2007.<\/p>\n
But 1997 world champion Villeneuve thinks bringing the now 33-year-old Raikkonen back to Ferrari in Felipe Massa’s wake is not smart.<\/p>\n
“Ferrari are completely insane,” the always outspoken French Canadian told the German newspaper Bild.<\/p>\n
“He can drive a car fast, but he can’t work with the engineers, he can’t develop the car, he won’t go to sponsor appointments,” Villeneuve said.<\/p>\n
Villeneuve is not the only one questioning Ferrari’s choice, particularly with the fiery Latin temperament of the current ‘number 1’ Fernando Alonso on the other side of the garage.<\/p>\n
“If Kimi starts outqualifying Fernando that would be a big one,” McLaren’s Jenson Button said this week, “because Fernando is not the quickest guy but as a package he’s exceptional.<\/p>\n
“It’s fun for us watching from the outside, but does it make the team stronger?\u00a0 I personally don’t think it does,” the 2009 world champion added.<\/p>\n
Former Ferrari driver Rene Arnoux agrees with those who think Alonso plus Raikkonen equals trouble.<\/p>\n
“It will last 3 or 4 races,” said the Frenchman, when pondering the ‘peace’ at Maranello at the very beginning of 2014.<\/p>\n
“As far as character, I see Alonso’s as the weaker,” he told Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport.<\/p>\n
“Remember him with Hamilton at McLaren?\u00a0 The peace was short lived, and while I am the first to hope I am wrong, for winning the constructors’ title you need two very strong drivers and characters.<\/p>\n
“But, of these two, one is angry and one doesn’t care.\u00a0 Every Sunday there is the possibility that it explodes.<\/p>\n
“Yes, as a neutral spectator, I like Ferrari’s choice,” he smiled.<\/p>\n
Arnoux, now 65, thinks it is possible Raikkonen will get the upper hand.<\/p>\n
“He seems to be more mature these days.\u00a0 Sure, his character is still the same, but since he was at Lotus he seems more consistent.<\/p>\n
“(Romain) Grosjean is still a mid-level driver and so it seems that Lotus has relied almost exclusively on Kimi,” he added.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, Arnoux questions whether Alonso can cope with being paired with a driver of Raikkonen’s calibre.<\/p>\n
“Definitely he has a bad temper, but this can also be a quality when it is used in battle,” he said.<\/p>\n
“But not when it is used within the team, creating difficulties and divisions.<\/p>\n
“Frankly, I want to see if Alonso is really up to what people say about him.\u00a0 In Barcelona he did an amazing race, a masterpiece, but then for a few races he did nothing,” added Arnoux.<\/p>\n
Something else that might spark Alonso’s fire is the extra workload that having Raikkonen alongside him might create.<\/p>\n
The Finn is notorious for hating PR, media and sponsor work, and negotiating contracts that minimise his off-track commitments.<\/p>\n
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said this week: “I hope his (Raikkonen’s) public relations will consist of wins, as well as a contribution to the team and a diligent presence in Maranello.<\/p>\n
“Alonso cannot take all the work on his shoulders alone,” he insisted.<\/p>\n
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