Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen is not likely to return to Formula 1 in the near future after he showed no interest in the Renault seat that has been given to veteran Nick Heidfeld.
The Finn, winner of the 2007 world title with Ferrari, discounted the possibility of pursuing the seat vacated by the injured Robert Kubica even before Renault had the chance to make an approach. Raikkonen, who now drives a Citroen in the World Rally Championship, told AUTOSPORT magazine during Rally Sweden last week: “I don’t want to talk about F1. Rallying Is where I want to be—it’s good to be back for another season.”
Renault team Principal Eric Boullier did not seriously consider Raikkonen, even though the 31-year-old was on the team’s radar at the end of last year. Boullier was unconvinced that he would be Commited enough to an F1 return, and those unsuccessful negotiations played a part in his being discounted as a potential Kubica replacement.
In addition, Raikkonen resolve to make a success of his rallying career after a difficult first season will have been boosted by his eighth-place finish in Rally Sweden.
After Raikkonen, Heidfeld had the best F1 record of any available drivers. The 33-year old German tested at Jerez on Saturday, setting the fastest time of the day, and was set to sign a race deal as AUTOSPORT mentioned their previous issue
Heidfeld’s performance at the test impressed Renault, and by the end of the day he was already working on development ideas for the new R31.
“The atmosphere feels very good. A week ago, getting into a car seemed so far away, so being here now is a bit unreal. Now l’m sitting here, hopefully with a good chance for a win” Heidfeld told Autosport magazine.