Kimi Raikkonen will drive for Ferrari through 2010 after extending his contract with the Italian team by another year on Friday.
Raikkonen, brushed off claims that he was pondering retirement after next season, insisting that he was just as motivated to continue despite an inconsistent 2008.
The move ends speculation over Ferrari’s lineup for the immediate future, because the Brazilian driver Felipe Massa is also contracted through 2010.
“The Ferrari driver lineup remains unchanged for the next two coming seasons,” the team said.
Massa, world champion Raikkonen’s current team mate, already had a contract to the end of 2010 while Raikkonen’s was due to expire in 2009.
Raikkonen’s future had been subjected to considerable scrutiny following poor performances on the track and the driver himself fuelling talk of retirement before the end of his contract.
“I always had a contract for next year anyway. I never said I was going to retire,” he said. “I still enjoy it. I still drive as well as I can.
“Sometimes when the results are not coming it is not such good fun but it doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy it. It was not a very difficult choice. I enjoy working with the people, so I am happy.”
“I wouldn’t go anywhere else,” said Raikkonen. “I won last year and we are still not out (of the championship) this year. I still enjoy it, even though sometimes it is not such good fun.”
“I never said retirement was an option – that was all you guys,” said Raikkonen, referring to the media. “I said I had a contract for next year and then we would see after that. I now have a couple more years, and we will look again when the time comes for what happens after that.”
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