Mark Blundell is to work with Kimi Raikkonen, the Finn's management and advisors and will now 'represent' and help manage the commercial rights for the 2007 F1 world champion through his company, MB Partners, it has been announced.

Raikkonen returns to Ferrari this year to join Fernando Alonso for the first of two seasons. He left the team and F1 in 2009 for a career in the World Rally Championship, before heading back to F1 with Lotus in 2012. Raikkonen achieved Lotus F1's first race win at the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and last year secured another victory and a further seven podiums, to finish fifth in the championship standings.

“I have known Kimi's management and advisors for a very long time,” said Blundell, who raced for Brabham, Ligier, Tyrrell and McLaren during his stint in F1 from 1991-1995, “and as such, we are working closely together on behalf of Kimi.”

“He is without a doubt one of the best F1 drivers on the grid,” added the former Crash.net columnist, “and combined with Ferrari is a powerful commercial proposition.”