Raikkonen leaves F1 for rallying

by - 12/19/2009 08:20:00 p.m.

Kimi Raikkonen is to switch from Formula One to the World Rally Championship for next season. It has long been speculated the 2007 world champion would turn his attention to rallying after leaving Ferrari at the end of the recent F1 campaign.

Raikkonen had hoped to return to McLaren, only for his apparent pay demands to scupper the move, resulting in the Woking-based marque instead signing reigning world champion Jenson Button.

With no other competitive drive on the horizon, Raikkonen's quest for new challenges means he will compete in 12 of the 13 rounds of the 2010 WRC, the only omission being New Zealand. The Finn will drive for the Citroën Junior Team, joining reigning Junior WRC champion Sébastien Ogier in the Red Bull-backed squad.

"I always wanted to compete in rally, especially in the World Rally Championship at some point," said Raikkonen, who this year impressed on his rally debut in a WRC event in Finland driving an S2000 Abarth.


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/motoring/news/article.cfm?c_id=9&objectid=10614005

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