AUGUST 25, 2005

Raikkonen at Ferrari?

There are reports in Germany this morning that Kimi Raikkonen has signed an option to join Ferrari in 2007. This option is almost certainly dependent on whether or not Michael Schumacher is still with the team or whether the German retires or moves to another F1 operation. The signs are that Schumacher will not retire and, given a story in the same newspaper on the previous day, wants more money from Ferrari. This suggestion would seem to negate the second story as Raikkonen is unlikely to go to Ferrari while Michael is still there.

What is clear from all of this is that the leaks in the German press are part of the negotiating process but what is not clear is who is leaking what to whom. What it all means is probably not yet decided but the stories are designed to sway the opinions of those involved. It could be that Ferrari does not want to pay Michael what he wants and so is leaking Raikkonen stories. At the same time stories linking Michael with McLaren could be just scare tactics to get Ferrari to cough up.

When a deal is done we will know.

It is worth noting that back in July, Ron Dennis made the point of telling the F1 media that Kimi Raikkonen would be best served staying where he is as most of the World Champions in the last 20 years have been successful because they have not jumped around between the teams. This is a fair point, but why did Ron feel the need to mention it?