Raikkonen Awaiting his 2019 F1 Contract

Ferrari’s last world champion Kimi Raikkonen is eagerly awaiting his 2019 Ferrari contract. The Finn admitted that his passion for racing is far from over.

The Ferrari driver has been surviving on one-year deals for the last two seasons. With his current contract expiring at the end of this year, he is yet to sign an extension for 2019. The decision is out of his hands and dependent on the team. The Italian marquee have to choose between the experienced Finn or a younger driver.

This is Raikkonen’s second stint with Ferrari having rejoined the team in 2014. He previously drove for the Scuderia between 2007 and 2009 winning in his first year with them.

The 38-year-old has not won a race in his second stint with the team. He has struggled to consistently match his teammates’ performances.

But despite that setback, he has been competitive when the car is performing well. This season, he has shown that he is up to the challenge. He has battled Vettel on numerous occasions this season, with only reliability being the sole deterrent.

The 2007 world champion is currently fifth in the standings — 50 points behind leader Lewis Hamilton and 36 behind his teammate. He has even been backed by Hamilton, who stated that the Finn does not seem to be ageing as he continues to be competitive.

“It’s not me who decides, it depends on what the team want. They know exactly what I want. I wouldn’t be in Formula 1 if I didn’t enjoy this. I don’t have to show anything anymore,” Raikkonen said. “The pleasure of racing is the only thing that keeps me bounded to this world, since I would do everything there is around, even if it’s part of the game. The effort and the emotions are the same as when I made my debut.”

“It’s a decision which is influenced by many factors,” the Finn added. “For sure, my passion for racing won’t disappear by the end of the season.”

Raikkonen even spoke about his relationship with Vettel. The Finn said that they have built up a good rapport with each other.

“There have never been any problems between us,” Raikkonen said.

“If something happens, we talk and move on.

“Take Monte Carlo [2017], for example, I was disappointed by my result, given that I could have won, but I wasn’t upset with the team or Seb.

“Instead someone wrote that I was unhappy with the fact that he won. A very different story.”

Up until now, the Finn had avoided social media, like his teammate Vettel But, early this year, he shocked many by signing up to Instagram. However, he admitted that he does not particularly enjoy it.

“To be honest, I’m not a big fan of it,” Raikkonen said.

“My wife, who has an official account for a long time, helps me. It can be useful for me to keep memories.”