Raikkonen likely to retire after 2015

It’s been well documented that Kimi Raikkonen has had some issues getting the F14 T to handle to his liking and this was the first topic on the agenda at his usual Thursday media session on a warm and windy day at the English track. “I am sure we are learning a lot and at least we now know where the issues are,” confirmed the Ferrari man. “The team will definitely do some things differently for next year and some of those changes we can also try this year. But it’s not a quick fix and once we get some more new parts to try, then hopefully it will go in the direction that we want.”

Therefore when it came to assessing his chances around the high speed corners of this weekend’s high speed track, the Finn felt there would be few surprises. “I think we are probably going to be in the same situation as at many of the races so far this year,” he maintained. “At the last race, we tried some new things that might not have worked well, but I wanted to try them anyway to see what effect they had. This weekend, we will carry on trying different things and gaining experience from that.”

Last weekend, Raikkonen was also in England, but in the very different surroundings of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where he drove his title winning 2007 Ferrari, spending time in company with the legendary John Surtees. What did he know of racing in those bygone days? “I’ve seen films on TV and the internet, it looked like a different sport back then, certainly much more dangerous and in a way, more fun and more open,” he said. From the past, to the future, with a question about how long he might stay with Scuderia Ferrari. The answer was typical Kimi, short and to the point: “Until my contract is finished and then I will probably stop.”

As a Ferrari driver, the press wanted Kimi’s views on suggestions that the Italian GP at Monza might not be on the calendar much longer. “I can’t see how they would stop Monza,” he replied. “It would be very stupid in my view for everyone and for Formula 1. Hopefully it will never happen but we are not the guys who decide. Obviously for Ferrari, it’s an amazing place. I’ve never won there, but hopefully in the future it will happen.”