Italian media begin Ricciardo-to-Ferrari campaign

On the back of his very impressive win at the Chinese Grand Prix, the media in Italy have started to recruit the Aussie to replace Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari after this season.

Ricciardo is out of a contract after 2018, and unlike Lewis Hamilton, who's also out of a contract after this season, the Aussie has admitted that he's not one hundred percent sure he wants to stay at Red Bull Racing.

As for the Italian media, they have a bit of a track record when it comes to Formula One and particularly Ferrari, as they've collectively influenced a whole lot of important decisions taken by the prancing horse and are notoriously powerful.

"Ferrari should take Ricciardo next year," Alberto Sabbatini of Autosprint wrote.

"It's incredible that he still doesn't have a contract for the future, and Ricciardo and Vettel would form the strongest driver line-up of the Formula One."

Vettel and Ricciardo were already teammates at Red Bull, where there was of friction and bad blood between the two. That shouldn't be a problem anymore though, Sabbatini argues.

"Yes, in the past when they were teammates Red Bull and there was friction, but times have changed.

"They are no longer two impulsive kids as in 2013/14 when they shared a garage - Ricciardo and Vettel have grown up.”

“While Max remains a potential phenomenon, the one who wins and keeps Red Bull going is Daniel Ricciardo, a driver who deserves Ferrari’s attention for quality and substance that he has been delivering on track for years,” Luca Budel of Sport Mediaset added.

What does Ricciardo need to do? Stay? Go? Tell us what you think in the comments!