Räikkönen’s manager denies negotiating with Williams

Is Kimi Räikkönen about to make his return to Formula One? While the Finnish driver’s WRC team has been excluded from the World Rally Championship for not participating in a minimum number of non-European races, his visit to the Williams factories was, for some, a clear sign of his desire to return in 2012. Officially, though, it was just a courtesy visit to follow the development of the next hybrid Jaguar, manufactured in cooperation with Williams.

In an interview with Diario Sport, the 2007 world champion did not offer a formal denial and even added fuel to the fire by keeping the mystery alive about his plans for next year: « There are many reasons why I left Formula One and I have always said that I didn’t know if it would be permanent. I won’t be making plans for next season before January, so I’ll have to see what happens. »

However, during an interview with GPUpdate, Steve Robertson, manager of the Espoo native, denied any negotiations with the British team: « At the end of the day, people know that Kimi visited Williams, but there is nothing more to say about it. » Robertson also stated that a return to Formula One is not currently on the agenda.

Finnish indeed has many alternatives for 2012, starting with continuing his career in the World Rally Championship. Last August, Iceman also took part in a test session with the Peugeot 908 at the Aragon circuit and traveled across the Atlantic to get a taste – at $100,000 per race – of NASCAR in the Truck Series and Nationwide.

Since his retirement from Formula One at the end of 2009, Kimi Räikkönen has been linked with numerous teams – Mercedes, McLaren, Lotus Renault GP, and now Williams – a sign that while he may be done with F1, F1 isn’t done with him.