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From GMM
Although committing to Lotus for another season, Kimi Raikkonen is not ruling out a return to his former teams McLaren or Ferrari in the future.
The 2007 world champion has been praised for his highly competitive return to F1 this season, but until now he has failed to add to his career tally of 18 wins.
He won all of those races for McLaren (2002-2006) and Ferrari (2007-2009), until he headed to world rallying in 2010 after being replaced at the Italian team by Fernando Alonso.
"I think the last year has been, overall, good for the team but of course you want to win races and challenge for championships," Raikkonen told the Telegraph, after Lotus announced that the 33-year-old has been signed up for 2013.
"I'm not 100 per cent happy," he admitted. "If I'm here I want to win and be successful."
Kimi Raikkonen does not, therefore, rule out a return at some point to Ferrari or McLaren, insisting that although his relationships with those teams did not end perfectly, the doors could still be open.
"Ferrari could have ended in a slightly nicer way but the people I worked with who are still there, I had a very good relationship with them and go and talk to them still," he explained.
"You never know," he said. "I don't know how long I will be driving for. Maybe I don't drive for many more years."
Raikkonen said McLaren is another possibility, even though it is reported his relationship with team supremo Ron Dennis was not great.
"For sure you have a different view of many things but we still talk to each other," he said. "I have never had a fight with him. People just try to make sh*t stories. I have no issues with anybody."
Although committing to Lotus for another season, Kimi Raikkonen is not ruling out a return to his former teams McLaren or Ferrari in the future.
The 2007 world champion has been praised for his highly competitive return to F1 this season, but until now he has failed to add to his career tally of 18 wins.
He won all of those races for McLaren (2002-2006) and Ferrari (2007-2009), until he headed to world rallying in 2010 after being replaced at the Italian team by Fernando Alonso.
"I think the last year has been, overall, good for the team but of course you want to win races and challenge for championships," Raikkonen told the Telegraph, after Lotus announced that the 33-year-old has been signed up for 2013.
"I'm not 100 per cent happy," he admitted. "If I'm here I want to win and be successful."
Kimi Raikkonen does not, therefore, rule out a return at some point to Ferrari or McLaren, insisting that although his relationships with those teams did not end perfectly, the doors could still be open.
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| Kimi Raikkonen, 2007 world champion with Ferrari. (Photo: Ferrari) |
"Ferrari could have ended in a slightly nicer way but the people I worked with who are still there, I had a very good relationship with them and go and talk to them still," he explained.
"You never know," he said. "I don't know how long I will be driving for. Maybe I don't drive for many more years."
Raikkonen said McLaren is another possibility, even though it is reported his relationship with team supremo Ron Dennis was not great.
"For sure you have a different view of many things but we still talk to each other," he said. "I have never had a fight with him. People just try to make sh*t stories. I have no issues with anybody."