Kimi to leave McLaren – magazine
The F1 paddock can now hardly contain the rumor that the 26-year-old 'iceman' Finn is Ferrari-bound, and the situation at his McLaren team is not helping.
At Monaco a fortnight ago, Raikkonen retired within sight of eventual winner Fernando Alonso's lead; and opted to spend the rest of the race on a friend's yacht rather than with his silver squad.
Kimi told 'sid': ''You have to look forward, but it is always disappointing if you don't finish when you have a good chance to win.''
Mercedes' Norbert Haug, though, clearly wants the aloof racer to stick around beyond 2006 to form a dream-team alongside incoming Alonso.
Tempering Raikkonen's undoubted concern with McLaren's form this year, the German said: ''It wasn't so long ago that Kimi drove in a team that won six races in a row.''
Haug is referring to the period last year, between July and October, where Raikkonen bagged four of the six-race sweep, but still finished second in the drivers' tables.
Not yet a year on, he is again a sackful of points – 37 – behind Alonso's commanding lead.
06/06/06 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen will definitely leave McLaren at the end of 2006.
That is the claim of 'Business F1' magazine, although it is not entirely certain whether the Finn's destination is Ferrari, to probably drive alongside Michael Schumacher next year, or Renault.