Is Rally Racing in Kimi Raikkonen's Future?

by Kally - 1/14/2009 10:51:00 p.m.

Does Kimi Raikkonen's participation in the upcoming Arctic Lapland Rally hint at what the 2007 Formula 1 Champion may be doing after his F1 career?

The 2008 F1 season was rocky for Kimi Raikkonen; he not only struggled to win but also had a crisis regarding his future.

During the summer months, there were many rumors that Raikkonen was going to up and leave his current career for either something he was passionate about, or leave racing altogether

While many speculated as to his future, Ford M-Sport director Malcolm Wilson even offered Raikkonen a testing session in the Ford Focus WRC car.

In June 2008, Bleacher Report Analyst James Walker wrote an article regarding a possible future for Raikkonen in rally racing.

Raikkonen has admitted that he still has not competed seriously in a rally, but in an interview with Fox Sports stated, "at some time, I want to try rallying. That interests me."

Now with Raikkonen entering into his first rally, with countryman Mikka Hakkinen, a future in rallying may be very real.

With his deal with Ferrari ending after the 2009 season, Kimi's admitted lack of interest in the series may compound to a switch into the World Rally Championship (WRC) or up-and-coming Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC).

[via BleacherReport]