Formula 1
Raikkonen - 'perhaps I'll go to Monaco GP'
For now at least, Kimi Raikkonen has eyes only for his new rally foray. The Finn agreed a settlement with Ferrari this year to end his contract early, turned down a solid McLaren offer, and subsequently signed up with Red Bull backing to do the ...
GMM
Published: Jan 5, 2010, 9:43 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
For now at least, Kimi Raikkonen has eyes only for his new rally foray.
The Finn agreed a settlement with Ferrari this year to end his contract early, turned down a solid McLaren offer, and subsequently signed up with Red Bull backing to do the full 2010 World Rally calendar at the wheel of a Citroen C4.
Asked in an interview published in German by the Red Bulletin, 30-year-old Raikkonen admitted he is currently not overly interested in F1.
"Perhaps for fun I'll go to the (2010) Monaco Grand Prix. As it looks now, I would get another F1 cockpit.
"But do I want it?" wondered the 2007 world champion, who won 18 of his 157 career Grands Prix since 2001.
"What's happening in Formula One at the moment are unpleasant things; manufacturers leaving one after another or selling their teams.
"I'm glad I don't have to worry about it (F1) at the moment," Raikkonen said. "In a year, we'll talk."
Comparing F1 with his newly chosen sport, he said: "In F1 there's too much politics behind it, no-one says what he thinks because he's afraid it's taken out of context.
"The atmosphere of the rally is much nicer. It's more about the performance of the drivers."
Raikkonen admits his pre-season feeling reminds him of early 2001, when as a 20-year-old he made his F1 debut with Sauber with only a handful of formative car races under his belt.
"There is a little bit of the young Kimi in me again, yes," he said. "I'm curious and excited.
"In F1, each lap is more or less the same. When it rains it becomes more difficult, but otherwise it's routine. In rallying, every curve, every hill may be different than you thought. That makes it interesting."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Peter Sauber looks beyond 2010
Next article Tifosi will 'worship' Schumacher again - Berger
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
GMM
The season is still very long - Rosberg
Formula 1
Formula 1
The season is still very long - Rosberg
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Formula 1
Formula 1
Jules Bianchi's father speaks of family's continued hopes
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
Formula 1
Formula 1
Chinese GP
Sauber under no illusions about constructors' position
More from
Kimi Raikkonen
David Coulthard explains why Robin Raikkonen's rise resembles Max Verstappen's
Formula 1
Formula 1
Spanish GP
David Coulthard explains why Robin Raikkonen's rise resembles Max Verstappen's
On this day: Michael Schumacher wins… and stuns tifosi with F1 retirement
Formula 1
Formula 1
Italian GP
On this day: Michael Schumacher wins… and stuns tifosi with F1 retirement
Red Bull signs Kimi Raikkonen’s son as junior driver
Formula 1
Formula 1
Italian GP
Red Bull signs Kimi Raikkonen’s son as junior driver
More from
Ferrari
On this day: Fernando Alonso wins the world title, Michael Schumacher retires from F1
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brazilian GP
6 h
On this day: Fernando Alonso wins the world title, Michael Schumacher retires from F1
The figures that show Mercedes has lost its supremacy in F1 2026
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
The figures that show Mercedes has lost its supremacy in F1 2026
Latest news
IndyCar set to drop Nashville Superspeedway and D.C. for 2027; Barcelona announcement looms
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 45 min
IndyCar set to drop Nashville Superspeedway and D.C. for 2027; Barcelona announcement looms
Carlos Sainz: "Difficult to be convinced" that F1 2026 can finish in the Middle East
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
48 min
Carlos Sainz: "Difficult to be convinced" that F1 2026 can finish in the Middle East
F1 United States GP: Friday schedule, weather forecast and how to watch
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
F1 United States GP: Friday schedule, weather forecast and how to watch
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe