Ferrari boss praises Raikkonen

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo thinks Kimi Raikkonen is the best driver on the grid after Ferrari's Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello and may even have his eye on the Finn for the future. Raikkonen gave Schumacher a run for his money in 2003, taking the title fight to the final race of the season, and many think he will beat the German in 2004.

"He is very young but is the best driver behind Michael Schumacher and Barrichello," di Montezemolo said about Raikkonen, according to Welt am Sonntag. "He has a five-year contract with McLaren but we must think of the future and make long-term plans."

Both Schumacher and Barrichello are contracted to Ferrari through 2006 but in F1 nothing is certain. However, Di Montezemolo believes the six-time champion will continue to race as long as he has the desire. "If Michael has the same passion and motivation that he has right now, if he continues to drive fast, he will still be driving," he said.

Schumacher himself acknowledges the threat of Raikkonen. Asked if he was concerned about the pace of the Williams cars in testing at Barcelona, Michael told Autosport: "The dangerous one is not here. He's testing somewhere else." Raikkonen was on track at Valencia last week.

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