Raikkonen considering quitting sport when Ferrari deal runs out next year
World champion Kimi Raikkonen has sensationally admitted he could walk away from the sport next year.
The paddock has been rife with speculation that the Ferrari driver is on the verge of retiring from the sport at the age of 28. Raikkonen insists he has no intention of breaking his £20m-a-year contract with the Italian team, which runs until the end of next season.
But the Finn hinted he could quit motorsport when that deal expires, and insisted he would not be hurried into making a decision. “I’m not in a hurry to decide what I am going to do in the future,” Raikkonen said.
“I have a year left on my contract that I want to fulfil. Later, in 2010, I do not know if I will be in F1. We will see. It is not an easy decision. “I have to evaluate many things, and I am not going to give any explanation to anybody. I will make my decision when I am ready. Ferrari are not pushing me on this.”
Raikkonen has been criticised for his recent performances, lending weight to suggestions he is bored and seeking a new challenge away from the track.
And the former McLaren and Sauber driver says he would not be bored if he retired. “No, I’m calm,” he added. “There are many things to do outside Formula One. I will find ways to amuse myself so I do not see any problem in using my free time.”
Meanwhile, Timo Glock will step into a Formula One car today – just four days after his horror crash at the German Grand Prix.
The Toyota driver was taken to hospital after careering backwards into a concrete wall at his home circuit Hockenheim.
Glock spent Sunday night undergoing tests, but having got the all-clear by doctors yesterday, the 26-year-old will return to take part in the team’s four-day test at Jerez.