Aussie also thinks Kimi arrival will improve Alonso's qualy form
Monday 16 September 2013 12:38, UK
Mark Webber has stoked Formula 1's driver market by suggesting that Ferrari's hiring of Kimi Raikkonen to partner Fernando Alonso represents a "short-term" measure to bring glory back to Maranello, before the team make a big move for Sebastian Vettel in 2016.
Webber also believes that one hoped-for by-product of Raikkonen's return to Ferrari is that it pushes Alonso to greater qualifying performances. While Alonso boasts by far the better Saturday head-to-head record from his four years as team-mate to Felipe Massa, there have been murmurings from inside the team that the Spaniard sometimes doesn't fully extract the car's single-lap potential. Webber, a close friend of Alonso, believes the Spaniard will benefit from Raikkonen's arrival. "They need Fernando to be pushed," Webber added. "He needs to be squeezed on Saturday afternoon to get the car further up the grid. That's why the car is phenomenal at starts and got all those other strengths because they think there is inherent weakness obviously in qualifying. "Fernando over one lap needs to be pushed and that will help him on Saturday afternoon with Kimi being there."
