02/10/2005
NEWS STORY
British tabloid, the Sunday Mirror, is claiming that Kimi Raikkonen has already signed a £22m deal with Ferrari, which will see the Finn join the Maranello outfit in 2007.
At a time when McLaren is on the ascendant, leading the Constructors' Championship from Renault by two points, while Ferrari trails behind in third place, a 'leading Formula One source' told the tabloid: ""This is not about money.
"McLaren and Mercedes are big companies and can afford to match, or better, anything Ferrari is offering," the source added. "They value Kimi highly. It is just down to what he wants to do."
The paper claims that Raikkonen's contract stipulates that the Finn has "equal status", though it also says that Michael Schumacher is likely to retire at the end of 2006 - when his current contract expires - "rather than take the risks involved in facing up to a young, ambitious and super-quick driver like Raikkonen".