Citroën Sport director, Olivier Quesnel, has insisted that former F1 driver, Kimi Raikkonen, is a “free agent” and can return to F1 as soon as he wishes.
Rumours of the Finn’s return to the sport have been rife as of late, with some suggesting that he will replace the injured Robert Kubica at Renault for the 2011 season.
Although many F1 pundits and fans would love to see the 31-year old return, he is currently still set to start his second season in rally under the “Ice 1” brand in a privately owned Citroën DS3.
“If he wants to leave, I couldn’t say anything because he is a client,” Quesnel told RMC Sport, “He has rented a car from us and drives with his own sponsors.”
“I suppose there may be considerable pressure from Bernie Ecclestone, the FIA and the whole world of F1, [but] if he is taking phone calls, they would have to be very convincing to get him back there.”
These feelings were echoed by the Finn when he spoke to the media about his Rookie season in the WRC. Raikkonen said, “I didn’t miss F1 at all. Before the start of this year I thought it would be interesting to see if I missed it at all, and in fact I didn’t.”
The Renault team have confirmed that they plan to use Nick Heidfeld to replace Robert Kubica in the upcoming Jerez test, but are still undecided on who will replace the Pole in the longer-term.
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