Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsFerrari

Raikkonen vents anger at 'bullshit' rumours

Kimi Raikkonen blasted "bullshit" reports regarding his Ferrari contract during his Thursday press briefing ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.

The Finn has an option on his contract for 2016, with Ferrari saying his performances will have to earn him an extension. With reports in Italian media claiming the 2007 world champion may have to take a pay cut, Raikkonen was asked if he would consider one to which he replied: "I heard something about it.

"Did you write it? I would be interested to know who wrote it because first of all none of you have any idea what my contract says and you never have. It’s bullshit nonsense that you guys come up with all the time, so keep writing that and it’s fine for me. The point is you have no idea what the contract says.

"I have a contract, they have to sign it, it’s as simple as that. Is whoever wrote it in here?"

Having identified the journalist who wrote the original report, Raikkonen asked: "It’s you? Have you seen my contract?" To which the journalist in question replied: "No".

"So you just come up with bullshit," Raikkonen said. "Yes or no? You don’t know the contract but you write stuff ... You write stuff that is not true … Maybe you should start writing some stuff that makes sense."

Speaking about his Ferrari future, Raikkonen reiterated he will not continue racing in F1 if he doesn't secure a contract extension.

"I have a contract and it has to be decided, it’s as simple as that. It’s not my decision, you have to ask the team. If I’m not with Ferrari, I’m not with any team, it’s as simple as that.

"You guys worry about it more than me. I always said it’s not the end of my life if I don’t race next year, but obviously I want to be here and I feel that the team is definitely going in the right direction and doing the right things. I’m sure in the future it will be the team to be in, but we have to still work out a few things."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.