Kimi Räikkönen says any potential return to rallying would be on his terms, and he has no desire to go back to a full “schedule” of competing.
The 2007 Formula 1 world champion, who announced his decision to retire from the championship this week, drove a Citroën for two years in the World Rally Championship and has previously stated he would like to return at some point.
Asked about the potential for a return to the stages, the Alfa Romeo driver said on Thursday: “No plans. I don’t want to have a schedule.
“Last time I did rallying and there was always a schedule and I don’t want that. I’m not in a rush.”
In an interview with the Red Bulletin last year, Räikkönen revealed he still had ambitions in rallying.
Asked what a WRC title would mean to him, he said: “More than my Formula 1 championship. Nobody has done it before, which is another aspect that makes it so interesting.”
While Räikkönen remains a big fan of rallying, the early starts and long days associated with WRC competition were not among his most treasured memories.
His best WRC finish came in 2010, when he placed a Citroën Junior Team C4 WRC fifth at Rally Turkey (pictured above).
The following season he ran a DS3 WRC privately through his Ice 1 Racing team. Despite some solid top-six finishes, his departure from the WRC came under something of a cloud.
He decided against travelling to Australia, pointing out how long it would take, and ultimately had Ice 1 Racing excluded from the 2011 results after he failed – as an official WRC Team – to complete all events nominated at the start of the season.
