Ferrari ready to make driver decision with Raikkonen in mind

Johannesburg: F1 racing team Ferrari is ready to decide who will partner its driver Fernando Alonso in the next season, and is not ruling out 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen, according to president Luca di Montezemolo.

According to Sport24, Brazilian Felipe Massa is out of contract at the end of the season and paddock speculation is swirling around his future at the team after a season in which Alonso has overshadowed him. Montezemolo said that they would be taking a decision in the next few days and had not taken any decision yet, adding that the team wanted to arrive at Monza without any strange pressure. The president said that they have not signed any contract with anybody, and would form an opinion and decide only after talking with Massa. Raikkonen is also out of contract at Lotus, and the team wants to keep him but need to provide the Finn with guarantees that they can pay his wages, the report said. Sauber`s German Nico Hulkenberg, who qualified third and ahead of both Ferrari drivers on Saturday, has also been mentioned, the report added. Raikkonen is Ferrari`s most recent world champion, leaving at the end of 2009 to make way for double world champion Alonso and spending two years in the world rally championship before making a comeback last year with Lotus, the report further said. Montezemolo said that Ferrari could take Raikkonen or even somebody else. ANI