Question marks over F1 pair’s futures

As the question marks continue to form over Felipe Massa’s prospects at Ferrari, their rivals are building barricades to protect their own prized assets: Namely, their drivers.

And nowhere more defensively so than at Lotus and McLaren, where former champions Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton are fast emerging as targets for transfer to the Italian legends.

Up front neither man has indicated a desire to switch, but behind the scenes they or their representatives are keeping watchful eyes on developments at Maranello despite Ferrari’s reluctance to confess they are about to offload the faded Brazilian.

The hands-off notices are being subtlely posted by McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh and Lotus leader Eric Boullier as their drivers revel in their holidays and rejoice in their worth-factors in frontline Formula One racing.

Hamilton, in private and sometimes in public, too, has hinted at his dissatisfaction with the McLaren set-up. Not so Raikkonen, whose F1 comeback after a two-year breakaway to rallying triggered a revival of Lotus hopes of grand prix glory bordering on fairytale.

The Finn, the season’s surprise package, has had nothing but praise for his back-up boys and the car’s ready answer to his demands. A second place last race out in Hungary served to underpin his value.

It was the fifth time he had finished on the podium having scored in every grand prix but China where worn tyres let him down, giving previous no-hopers Lotus a real chance of championship success.

Whether he would want to return to Ferrari, who, shall we say, “let him go” in favour of Fernando Alonso after he had won the 2007 world title, is not something the taciturn 32-year-old is openly prepared to discuss.

But French boss Boullier is more forthcoming on the issue. “There are always rumours. But Kimi is happy here,” he says, “and I don’t recall his previous experience with Ferrari being his best or a happy one.”

Ferrari team chief Stefano Domenicali, a keen Raikkonen admirer, refuses to rule out a move, but Boullier stresses: “As far as I know Kimi has no intention of going back there.

“We have a two-year contract with Kimi but, as in every agreement, there are always options. He knows he can be a winner here, and we shall be doing our utmost to give him that chance.We shall always fight to win, just like him. And we have a strong development programme in the pipeline.”

As for Hamilton, despite claims that he and Alonso, an old foe on and off circuit, could join up at Ferrari, it is highly unlikely in light of their bitter personal history, he will be in for the Italian Job.

But that could all depend on Ron Dennis, the McLaren mastermind who discovered and developed him, and his readiness, or otherwise, to tie him to a £100m five-year deal.

In a bid to deflect any anticipation, Hamilton said: “I am not looking at anyone. I am just trying to focus on this season; the championship is more important than what I have to do for my next contract.”

But, believe me, there is plenty of big-time action going on in deadly secrecy behind the scenes in the camps of both the finders and the keepers.

Watch this space.