Scuderia Ferrari Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen says that the situation surrounding his contract for the 2018 Formula One season is no different than previous years. The 2007 F1 World Champion Finn rejoined the Maranello team back in 2014 and has been on a rolling contract since the end of 2015. For the moment Kimi Raikkonen’s future is still not confirmed, however it is expected that he will be retained for 2018, as suggested a few weeks ago by Italian-Canadian executive and Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne, who added that it would be difficult for him to change the team’s line-up for 2018 given recent results and the fact that Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel have a good relationship on and off the track, which creates a positive atmosphere within the Italian team.
Drivers such as Sergio Perez and Romain Grosjean have been linked to the seat for next Formula One season, but it is thought that the Maranello team hopes to be able to keep both drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, for at least one more year. The 2007 world champion is relaxed about his future, stating that the situation is the same as last time: “It’s no different than any year. It’s not really my decision to make.” – Kimi Raikkonen explained, as reported on Thursday by Italian national sports newspaper based in Rome Corriere dello Sport – “The team knows what is my preferred option, and then we will see what happens.”
Kimi Raikkonen’s German teammate Sebastian Vettel is also out of contract at the end of the 2017 Formula One season and while it is heavily expected that he will continue with the Maranello team, the terms of the contract are yet to be established as recent reports suggest that Sebastian Vettel is only interested in a one-year extension, as opposed to Ferrari’s intentions of signing the German driver for the next three seasons.
Leave a Reply