10/07/2013
NEWS STORY
Former world champion, Kimi Raikkonen, has refused to give any clue as to who he will be driving for next year, with the Lotus driver heavily linked with replacing Mark Webber at Red Bull.
Raikkonen has been installed as the odds-on favourite to drive alongside Vettel next season with Red Bull after it emerged the 2007 world champion was on the team’s shortlist to replace the outgoing Webber, along with Toro Rosso duo, Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo.
There have been numerous reports claiming a deal between Red Bull and Raikkonen has already been finalised - with some claiming that Webber opted to jump before he was pushed from the team.
However, Raikkonen has been quick to refute any talk of a deal already being agreed for him to switch from Lotus to Red Bull, insisting he will wait before making a decision over what move to make next in his career.
"I don't know what will happen in the future," Raikkonen said following his second place finish in Germany.
"Things will be decided at some point but until that happens there's nothing to talk about. I would definitely tell if I know something just so that all these follow-up rumours and nonsense stops straight away. But right now, there's absolutely nothing for next year and we will see."
Not quite as quick as he once was, Raikkonen has shown himself to be a more complete driver since his return to Formula One last year, producing consistent results in an often inconsistent Lotus.
While a move to Red Bull would give him a better chance of winning another drivers’ championship, there are still some who are sceptical about a move that would surely see the Finn forced to play a secondary role to three-time world champion, Vettel.
For the fans, however, it would be fascinating to see how Raikkonen would handle being a number two driver.