Kimi Raikkonen backed for Red Bull move as he insists he won't be rushed into choice

Kimi Raikkonen has insisted he is yet to give any thought about where he might drive in 2014 amid renewed speculation that the Finn may replace Mark Webber at Red Bull.

Speculation that Raikkonen is poised to transfer to Red Bull has intensified in recent weeks, with Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft among those predicting the Finn will form a mouthwatering partnership with Vettel in 2014. "From talking to people in the paddock and watching what is going on, I just have the feeling that a big-name signing, even though they have plenty of good up-and-coming drivers in the Red Bull development programme, is what they want," declared Crofty during Sky Sports F1's coverage of the Bahrain GP. Unlike the gritty, plain-spoken Webber, who caused a stir in midweek by dining with Vettel's perennial title rival Fernando Alonso, Raikkonen is a close friend of the German and possesses the sort of laidback character which is likely to bring harmony to a team ripped asunder by events at Sepang. "Kimi is holding a lot of good cards," declared Sky F1 pundit Anthony Davidson. "Raikkonen is good friends with Vettel and they play badminton together - and apparently Kimi always wins." Whereas visualising Raikkonen in a Red Bull racing suit for 2014 is certainly far easier to foresee than imagining the taciturn Finn neatly decked out in a pristine badminton kit, the picture is cloudier still for Webber's future. While the immediately-implausible rumours of Webber signing a five-year deal with Porsche were given short shrift by the 36-year-old in the Bahrain paddock this week, the veteran dodged an invitation on Friday to confirm he will continue in F1 in 2014 and a switch of motorsport series remains eminently feasible. As ever, the F1 rumour mill hasn't been left idle for long.