He’s been back with Ferrari since the 2014 season. The pair get along well and, coming towards the end of his career, the Finn seems more willing to accept the status quo.

At present Vettel has scored more than double the number of Raikkonen’s points total – 160 to 76.

Given today’s news, Bottas is likely to stay with his current team for the next season.

And yet, when he won the crown in 2005 and 2006, so much was expected.

Apart from Kimi Raikkonen, no other driver contesting on the grand stage of Formula One has ever secured a racing license from the FIA with just 23 prior races under his belt.

“What can I say… for me, to be able to stay another year at Ferrari means that the dream goes on”, the 35-year-old – F1’s oldest driver – told the team website after an announcement that caught the sport off guard.

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg were also among the options appraised by the team.

Raikkonen may be 36 in October, out-qualified by his Ferrari teammates 24-5 since his return at the start of past year and outraced 20-3, but you can understand Maurizio Arrivabene’s decision to retain the Finn for 2016. “Right now we have to try to do a good second half of the year, maximise what we have and then prepare for next year”.

“McLaren was a risky project because they were completely new, but we are one team – we win and we lose together”. When the time comes in 12 or so months’ time for F1’s next major merry-go-round in the driver market, Ferrari will be calling the tune.

“Obviously it depends on what options you have and how many”, he added.

“For sure it doesn’t do any good to my and the team’s relationship”, he said.

In a tighter constructors’ championship fight than Ferrari now finds itself in, Raikkonen would potentially represent an expensive liability. “Nothing has changed for me”. “And Cologne is a great venue for the event as it’s the home of our European air hub, which allows us to ship packages via express delivery to UPS Access Point locations around the world”.

“We’ve been driving a similar vehicle which is 10 seconds faster, so there are different opinions”.

“Of course, you need to look around at what is available”.

End with the summer break and on to Spa! The Italian team seem to think continuity is a key to success in F1.