Kimi returns to Ferrari: The Winners and Losers

Winners

James Allison
Any doubts he may or may not have had about the wisdom of leaving Lotus to return to Ferrari as their technical chief have surely been dispelled by Raikkonen following him along the same path. With Rory Byrne overseeing the construction of Ferrari's 2014 charger, and Allison not to be underestimated, Ferrari have all boxes ticked for next season. The here and now
Compared to the recent announcements at Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes, Ferrari have very much bucked the trend in handing a 33-year-old a two-year contract to partner a 32-year-old who is under lock and key until 2016. Whereas their rivals have the next generation - namely: Ricciardo, Perez and, to a lesser extent, Hamilton - already in place Ferrari have overlooked the future to focus on the present. Why only them? Possibly because Ferrari, rightly or wrongly, still see themselves as irresistible. There's no need for them to secure the future when nobody turns down the opportunity to drive for Ferrari. Sebastian Vettel
From the perspective of the Constructors' Championship, it's Alonso and Raikkonen at Ferrari. From the perspective of the Drivers' Championship, it's Alonso v Raikkonen. In sum, what's bad news for Red Bull is, conversely, good news for Vettel; while his closest rivals in the championship will have problems at home to contend with, he'll be the established number one alongside a team-mate new to both the elite and his surrounds. Don't misunderstand Ferrari's motivation: Although they've broken with their established convention in order to end Red Bull's dominance, it's the Constructors' Championship they are eyeing first and foremost. Mark Hughes
He called it first.

Losers

Felipe Massa
He'll leave with his head held high and Ferrari's decision to let the Brazilian announce his own departure on Tuesday night was the least he deserved after an eight-year tenure which had become a dutiful service since Fernando Alonso's arrival. Nor should Felipe's talent be underestimated. He was World Champion for ten seconds in 2008, saw off Raikkonen a year later, and has earned more points in F1 than any other Brazilian in history. Yet, when all is said and done, his exit had been a long-time coming. He's not been the same driver since Hungary 2009 and, viewed in hindsight, last year's contract extension was a mistake. So far this term, Fernando has garnered more than twice as many points as Massa. 'Preferential treatment' doesn't come close to accounting for such a vast discrepancy. Fernando Alonso
So Fernando, what are you going to do now? The Spaniard has been pitted against an A-lister before, but not by deliberate design, and not since 2007 when his partnership alongside a largely-unknown rookie culminated in the most acrimonious intra-team implosion since Senna and Prost. Since then, Alonso has pursued - by absolute design - pre-eminence at both Lotus and Ferrari, where Nelson Piquet Jr and Massa both played the role of dutiful number twos with meek obedience. Fernando won't like sharing number one status alongside Kimi. He won't like it one bit. An historical giveaway is that he has twice replaced the Finn, first at McLaren for 2007 and then at Ferrari three years ago. Their paths have followed, but never crossed. Make no mistake, if Alonso had his way, he'd still be the only rooster in the Ferrari