01/10/2009
NEWS STORY
Even though he has been linked with a drive with McLaren, 2007 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen has said he could yet decide to walk away from F1 entirely.
In the eyes of many, having won the 2007 title the Finn appeared to lose his all-out motivation, though there have been a few flashes of the old brilliance.
With Alonso taking his seat at Ferrari and having been handed a reportedly huge payout, the Finn is considering his options, and while many believe the move to McLaren a formality he insists it is not a done deal and that he could leave F1, possibly for a career in rallying.
"So far I have not really talked too much about what I will do next as I still have time to make my decision and I will let you know when I have," Raikkonen told reporters in Japan ahead of this weekend's GP.
"For the moment, I haven't decided what I want to do next, whether I want to continue racing or not," he added. "I had a contract for next year, but now I don't, so that changes things. So maybe I race, maybe I do not.
"If I do decide to stay in Formula One, I wouldn't go to any of the small teams, where I would not have the chance to fight for the championship," he continued. "If I race next year, that would be my goal, otherwise there is no reason to be in Formula One. I achieved what I wanted, but if I race, then of course I want to win more races and championship titles."
Asked if rallying was an option, he said: "There's a chance to do that, but there's as much of a chance that I continue in Formula One. I will decide before the start of next year for sure."