Toyota: Raikkonen “always welcome to WRC”

Kimi Raikkonen has been rumoured to retire from the Formula One after this season, and Toyota World Rally Championship team boss Tommi Makinen has said that the Fin is always welcome to do some testing if he wants.

The second seat at Ferrari next to Sebastian Vettel has been a big talking point throughout the whole season. Raikkonen, who turns 39 in October, will probably retire from the F1 at the end of the season, although the Ice Man hasn’t confirmed or denied that yet. Eventual successors include Haas F1’s Kevin Magnussen, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, and more recently Sauber rookie Charles Leclerc, who is a Scuderia Academy graduate.

Regardless of what decision Raikkonen makes, four-time WRC champion and Toyota team boss Tommi Makinen says the door at Toyota is always open.

“He hasn’t tested anything now, but why not?” he told Motorsport.com.

“If he wants to drive the car I can let him, no question.”

Raikkonen, of course, did some WRC in the time he took off from the F1 in 2010 and 2011. He did alright but never got as much as a podium.

“I know how he is driving,” Makinen added.

“He drives very well, he’s not crazy.”

Source: GP Blog Story by Nicolás Quarles van Ufford