The tell-tale signs that all is not well in the House of Maranello are when the Italian media go on a rumour binge as they try make sense (or not) of what Mattia Binotto is planning for his team which has all but lost the title already.
First rumour making splashes is Kimi returning to Ferrari “to replace out of sorts and sabbatical seeking” Sebastian Vettel!
But former F1 driver turned pundit, Mika Salo played down suggestions that if Vettel quits Ferrari at the end of 2019, the most obvious replacement is actually Raikkonen, who would make an ideal number 2 for Charles Leclerc.
“I saw some rumours about that, but it seems unlikely,” former F1 driver and FIA steward Salo told Ilta Sanomat. “Kimi’s career is already close to the end and he seems happy to be able to drive without pressure at Alfa Romeo. Ferrari requires quite a different level of driving and effort.”
With Simone Resta heading back to number four Via Abetone Inferiore, another familiar name could be on the way back to Maranello, with Auto Bild reporting that Aldo Costa could also be on the way back to Maranello.
Costa, who until last year was Mercedes’ engineering director, moved into a part-time ‘technical advisor’ role at the German team for 2019. At the time, Mercedes said that move was to “spend more time with his family in Italy”.
Prior to working at Mercedes, Costa was on the Michael Schumacher-era Ferrari ‘dream team’, eventually serving as technical director before he left in 2011.
He was also a high-ranking member at the time of Kimi Raikkonen’s title in 2007 as well as the team’s last title in 2008 when they won the constructors’ title their driver Felipe Massa was beaten to the title in a dramatic last-lap decider in Brazil at the end of that year.”
Costa is also said to be one of the main brains behind Mercedes’ current era hybrid PUs which have amassed ten titles in five years and are set to add another two to those come the end of this season.
Big Question: Why so many rumours swirling around Ferrari?