Mark Webber believes Ferrari have decided to take Kimi Raikkonen on a two-year contract because they will soon sign Sebastian Vettel.
It’s no secret that Ferrari want the three-time champion at Maranello, but as of yet they’ve failed to secure his services despite many rumours that he has signed a pre-contract for 2015.
That rumour was dispelled after the German took up a one-year option with Red Bull which will see him remain in Milton Keynes until 2016.
However, Ferrari’s two-year deal with Raikkonen will see an opening come up just as Vettel becomes a free agent – which Webber believes is timed perfectly to partner Fernando Alonso and the 26-year-old.
“There are so many reasons why it’s a bit of a gamble to help Ferrari,” he told Sky Sports. “Two years left for probably both of them [Raikkonen and Alonso]. Actually, I think over that [for Alonso]. What they do after that, obviously, is pick Seb up off the back of Red Bull and they keep moving from there.”
The Italian team’s choice to hire the Finn, according to Webber, is in order to find a short-term solution to keep them at the front until they can sign the current champion.
“It’s a very short-term, aggressive statement from Ferrari to put the team at the front,” he added.
