F1: Why Scuderia Ferrari must keep Kimi Raikkonen in its driver lineup for 2019

Kimi Raikkonen remains as Ferrari's best choice for F1 2019 even though he's not the same flying Finn he once was.

Reports suggest that the Scuderia may make its first driver change in four years by ousting an aging Raikkonen for Sauber rookie Charles Leclerc.

F1 Italian Grand Prix

The young Monegasque driver has impressed in his first season at the pinnacle of motorsport.

Leclerc averages over half a second quicker than his experienced teammate Marcus Ericsson in qualifying and has shown excellent race craft on Sundays. The duels between the young driver and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso have been particularly good.

Aside from that, Leclerc has picked up the points on race days when the chance has come in an unfavoured Sauber.

The 20-year-old is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA) and lining him up alongside Sebastian Vettel may be a tantalizing prospect for Ferrari. It was an idea vouched for by former Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne before his sudden passing in July, although the Italian squad is not renown for promoting inexperienced drivers.

The last time this had occurred came back in 1977 when the late Gilles Villeneuve arrived with less than two full F1 seasons.

Villeneuve won six races for Ferrari

So, why should Ferrari abandon their driver recruitment policy now?

While you cannot argue over just how quick and mature Leclerc has been this season, he's still learning the trade. Furthermore, Raikkonen has proved himself to be a reliable choice for Ferrari.

The 2007 world champion's best years may be behind him, but he has collected regular podium finishes in 2018 along with valuable points for Ferrari. In fact, Raikkonen has managed nine podiums in 14 races compared to teammate Sebastian Vettel's eight.

The Iceman's points tally has improved every season since he rejoined Ferrari in 2014. He's now scored 26 more points than he managed at the same stage in 2017. Another thing for Ferrari to consider is Raikkonen's great working relationship with Vettel.

Since teaming-up in 2015, they have kept politics out of their relationship.

And Raikkonen's selfless approach and team ethics are unquestionable after having many of his race strategies compromised for Vettel's gain. That will put him in good stead at Ferrari, who are infamously renown for prioritizing one driver over the other.

F1 Grand Prix of Italy

Conclusion

Signing a young exciting starlet in Leclerc may cause an upset to the tranquil atmosphere that the Ferrari team enjoy. The youngster could rival Vettel as the Scuderia's quickest driver so he may be reluctant to become the German's number two.

But, at this stage of his career, it may be too soon for Ferrari to promote Leclerc and it won't come without risk. An example is Mexican Sergio Perez, who moved to McLaren in 2013 following two impressive years at Sauber.

Perez with McLaren in 2013

The Mexican arrived at the Woking-based outfit just as their fortunes started to change and struggled to cope with the politics involved. After just one season, Perez lost his seat to Kevin Magnussen.

Despite nearly six seasons of impressive outings since then at Force India, Perez is yet to be handed another chance by a top team.

So the wisest thing that Ferrari can do is hand Raikkonen another season. Although the Finn will be 39 come the start of next season, it will ensure Ferrari of added stability as they continue the chase to end their 10-year wait for another world title.

Leclerc, who will turn 21 next month, could instead make a move to another Ferrari-linked team in Haas.

The Monegasque is already familiar with the American outfit after spending 2016 working for Haas as a development driver.

He also participated in the first practice session of the 2016 British Grand Prix for the team. And making the move to Haas would give Leclerc a more competitive car for next season that will enable him to build on his already glowering reputation.