Kimi Raikkonen has ruled himself out of a Formula One drive for next season following confirmation that he will compete for Citroen’s Red Bull-backed junior team in the 2010 World Rally Championship (WRC).
Raikkonen, whose Ferrari seat has been taken by Fernando Alonso for next year, has signed a one-year contract with Citroen and has not ruled out a Formula One return in the future - though only if it’s with a team with title-winning potential.
“I always wanted to compete in rally, especially in the World Rally Championship at some point in my career," said Raikkonen. "Thanks to Red Bull, I have the opportunity to drive the best car of the series with the Citroen C4.
“This is a new but very exciting challenge. For the moment we have a one-year contract and we will see how it goes for the future. I am really looking forward to testing the car and taking the start of the first rally.”
Raikkonen will contest 12 of next year's 13 WRC rounds, missing only the New Zealand event, which the team are not taking part in.
Source: http://www.formula1.com/