Räikkönen will not drive for Red Bull in 2014
Kimi Räikkönen will not join the Red Bull Racing team next season as a replacement for Mark Webber, his manager revealed.
Following the announcement of Mark Webber’s departure at the end of the season, rumors about the Australian’s replacement have fueled discussions in recent weeks.
If after the announcement of Webber’s departure a trio seemed to stand out to replace the native of Queanbeyan with Kimi Räikkönen, Jean-Eric Vergne, and Daniel Ricciardo, things have changed significantly now.
Indeed, Kimi Räikkönen, who at one time seemed to be the favorite, will ultimately not join the Red Bull team as his manager, Steve Robertson, confirmed. He revealed to *Turun Sanomat* that negotiations with the Milton Keynes team had ended and were not fruitful. He later confirmed this information to *Autosport*: “It’s true. Kimi will not drive for Red Bull in 2014. There were negotiations, but no agreement could be reached.”
With Jean-Eric Vergne often mentioned as not yet ready to drive a Red Bull and Kimi Räikkönen now out of the running, it is Daniel Ricciardo who seems to be in the lead, especially since according to *Sport Bild*, the Australian could even be officially announced alongside Sebastian Vettel for 2014 as early as this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps during the Belgian Grand Prix, the 11th round of the season.
