Raikkonen found himself deflecting rumors of a move to Ferrari
No sooner had the Finn's interest in the vacant Red Bull seat finally been ended than he was forced to fend off questions about a move back to the Scuderia. That Ferrari's home race takes place on Sunday can only add to the swell of speculation surrounding a possible return to the team with whom Raikkonen won the 2007 title, yet there is an undercurrent in the Monza paddock that the 33-year-old is seen as a genuine option.
Raikkonen departed Ferrari a year ahead of schedule at the end of the 2009 season to make way for Fernando Alonso but he insisted – and not for the first time – that there have been no hard feelings.
It was also not the first time this summer that he had appeared rather lost amid the deluge of journalists who descended upon Lotus demanding to know his next move. Indeed, such was the welter of interest in Raikkonen at Spa two weeks ago that it apparently caused him to be struck down by a mystery 'illness'.
He was, thankfully, well enough to attend to his media obligations this time but Raikkonen, as usual, gave little away – his well-practiced, straight bat routine interspersed by an occasional flash of exasperation at being asked "the same questions".
"I never had anything against anybody and always certain things can be different to how they were in the past," he said of his current relationship status with Ferrari.
"We'll see what happens next year and we'll let people know once we know. Like I said, nothing has changed since the last race; you can ask as much as you want."
It's been said that if Raikkonen had a beef with anyone at Ferrari then it was with Luca di Montezemolo. The marque's President traditionally attends the Italian GP on Saturday and surely the speculation will turn feverish if the two of them are sighted even within reasonable proximity of each other.
According to Raikkonen, that much hasn't happened since his F1 return. Yet he's happy to let bygones be bygones. "I haven't seen him," he claimed. "I've talked to many people since my comeback. I've nothing against any people; the past is the past and that's it.
"I don't know why it would be different this Saturday or any other Saturday." Sky Sports