Sep.25 (GMM) The signs are increasing on almost a daily basis that Kimi Raikkonen is set to vacate his Ferrari cockpit after November's 2009 season finale.
The Finn remains under contract for the 2010 season, but it is well known that the Italian team would prefer Fernando Alonso to be Felipe Massa's teammate next year.Previously, when asked about the rumours, 29-year-old Raikkonen would wearily refer only to his 2010 contract, and even the headline of an interview with F1's official website on Thursday insisted that Kimi is "fully committed to Ferrari for 2010".But to the Finnish broadcaster MTV3 on the same day, Raikkonen acknowledged that the agreement alone "does not mean that I will drive next year for Ferrari"."Perhaps they want to talk about something," he added.Raikkonen's manager Steve Robertson added: "Kimi has a contract with Ferrari, but as everyone knows, contracts can be broken."We are talking with Ferrari but we are also listening out for other offers," he admitted. "At the moment we do not know 100 per cent that Kimi will stay with Ferrari."Moreover, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo now rarely mentions the name of the team's Finnish driver, and on Thursday the Italian came tantalisingly close to letting the cat out of the bag.Speaking with Spanish reporters at an event in Madrid, he said in a video posted on the website of the sports newspaper Marca: "We are very happy about having so many fans in Spain, and next year, with Alonso..."Montezemolo stopped himself, laughed, and pointed a finger at the similarly-amused ranks of pressmen.Later, he said: "I can confirm that Massa will be the first driver, and the third driver will be Giancarlo Fisichella."After Singapore, Stefano Domenicali and I will meet and decide who will be (in the) second car. Soon we will make the announcement," said Montezemolo.
