Kimi may struggle to return from sabbatical - Prost

Alain Prost has warned Kimi Raikkonen to think hard before taking a one-year break from Formula One.

The quadruple world champion said the Finn might have trouble convincing team bosses to employ him in 2011.

"He will try to go rallying, but he is a bit lazy, likes to party and drink a little," Prost told Europe 1 radio. "When you take a year off you have to be extremely serious about it, preparing physically and mentally."

The Frenchman, now 54, took a sabbatical in 1992 before returning in 1993 to win his final title with Williams.

He said Raikkonen has lots of fans but also some detractors within the F1 paddock. "He sometimes had difficulty working as a team.

"Some Ferrari people in particular didn't appreciate his remoteness from the engineers. He is a superb driver," said Prost.

"But it may be difficult for him to get the people who are half-way down the middle about him to trust him again in 2011."