Kimi to retire or extend Ferrari deal through 2011
09/02/08 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen on Tuesday fuelled speculation that he is set to retire at the end of the season.
It has long been rumored that the reigning world champion would retire sooner rather than later, and comments in his latest blog entry on the Ferrari website make for interesting reading.
Referring to the reaction to his recent performance slump, the Finn wrote: "It's a shame to be involved in many negative stories, but these things happen: it wasn't the first time and it might not have been the last in my career."
His unusual choice of words comes at a time when speculation about his future is rife, and teams make their driver selections for the coming season.
Fascinatingly, a similar blog posted on the 28-year-old's personal website on Tuesday omitted the reference to possibly the "last" negative speculation of his career.
"It's never nice to be in the middle of all kinds of negative stories," the website entry quotes Raikkonen as saying, "but it just happens. It's not the first time in my life and you just have to live with it."
The driver market is currently at an impasse, as team managers wait essentially to see what the former double world champion Fernando Alonso does.
It is believed the Spaniard, who has been linked in recent weeks with Honda, already has an agreement with Ferrari for 2010, with an option for 2009 should Raikkonen retire.
08/01/08 Kimi Raikkonen has moved to quell rumors that he is considering retirement, claiming that the suggestion is the invention of the media keen to find a story.
The Finn has appeared lackluster at times this season, his first as reigning world champion, and has admitted that he will not go on racing forever, but denies that he has actually discussed retiring either at the end of his current Ferrari contract or, earlier still, at the end of this year.
"I never said anything like that," he told journalists after a late arrival at Thursday's press conference in Budapest, "I only said that I have a contract until the end of next year and then somebody made up that I will stop at the end of this year or the end of next year, but I never said that. “I’m still enjoying F1 but, like I said, there are a lot of other things in life. But I'm enjoying this. I have a great time, I have a great time with [the team]. Of course, it would be better if we could do a little bit better right now, but that's racing and, for sure, we will get where we want.
"[My motivation] hasn't disappeared anywhere but, of course, it's not nice when it's not going so well. But it's not the first time. We just keep pushing and, at some point, it starts going better again."
07/23/08 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen insists he has not lost the desire to win, but the defending world champion is still refusing to commit to formula one beyond the end of his Ferrari contract next year.
The 28-year-old Finn had a notably lackluster German grand prix last weekend, amid rumors his heart is no longer in it and he may be contemplating an early retirement.
"The desire to win hasn't decreased at all," Raikkonen said on Tuesday, insisting that last year – when he ultimately won the drivers' title – he similarly went six races without a victory.
But in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, he refused to confirm whether he will still be on the grid in 2010.
"I am not in a hurry to decide," Raikkonen said. "I have one more year on my contract that I want to fulfill.
"For 2010, we will see. It is not an easy decision, it is necessary to evaluate many things."
Many observers cannot understand why, with possibly F1's most lucrative contract and one of the most competitive seats, Raikkonen would be considering hanging up his helmet.
"I don't feel like I need to explain, I will make my decision when I am ready. Ferrari is not rushing me either.
"There are many things to do outside of formula one — I will find ways to amuse myself," he smiled, "and I have never had problems with having spare time."
Similarly, Raikkonen does not exclude the possibility of simply continuing at Ferrari in 2010, and would welcome Fernando Alonso as a teammate.
"Why not?" he answered when asked about potentially having Alonso as a teammate. "Who knows, but I am not the one who makes the decisions about drivers."
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| Kimi Raikkonen |
07/22/08 (GMM) World champion Kimi Raikkonen is on the cusp of signing a new two year extension to keep racing for Ferrari beyond the 2009 season, according to the widely circulated German newspaper Bild-Zeitung.
It was being speculated that Raikkonen, the 28-year-old Finn, was growing weary of the grand prix world and – despite his contract for next year – might even have gone into early retirement at the end of this season.
His teammate Felipe Massa has two and a half years left to run on his own agreement with the Maranello based team.
If confirmed, the Raikkonen news would deal a blow to the hopes of double world champion Fernando Alonso, who reportedly has a deal in place to race with Ferrari if a vacancy arises for 2009 or 2010.
"It does look as though the Spaniard will have to stay with Renault," former triple world champion Niki Lauda told the newspaper.
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Meanwhile the Guardian newspaper reports – Kimi Raikkonen's below-par performance in Germany and subdued demeanor has prompted a fresh wave of speculation that the Finn could retire from the sport.
After being out-qualified again by Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa, the World Champion trailed home a distant sixth while Lewis Hamilton surged to victory.
According to The Guardian newspaper, 'Raikkonen appeared unfocused throughout the Hockenheim weekend' and 'His refusal to confirm or deny that he is on the brink of retirement hardly clears the speculation and uncertainty that surrounds him.
'He finished sixth on Sunday and talked afterwards, in disconsolate tones, about a lack of grip. It is thought he was referring to his car. But whatever the state of his transport, he is a man who sometimes appears to be in the damp hold of a malaise,' the newspaper continued.
'If Raikkonen does leave Ferrari, he will leave formula one. Where else would he want to go? He might even devote more time to his snowmobile racing. It would be a terrible waste. But perhaps his mood has been further darkened by the realization that he is up against somebody whose talent for driving a racing car at immense speeds with exceptional skill is even greater than his own.'
Sunday Times columnist and ITV pundit Martin Brundle has also questioned whether Raikkonen could be on the verge of leaving the sport.
'With Raikkonen refusing to confirm or deny that he is considering retirement – maybe even at the end of this year – the expectation is that Alonso would replace him should he do so, and that the Spaniard will be at Ferrari regardless in 2010.
'After he shoved a photographer on the grid at Silverstone a fortnight ago, and watching him behind the wheel here at Hockenheim, there is a part of Kimi that is unhappy and frustrated at the moment. I would still be more than surprised if he retired this year, but if he wants to sign off as world champion, he needs more speed and balance in his car,' Brundle wrote in his column this weekend.