Raikkonen delighted to prolong Ferrari 'dream'

Kimi Raikkonen says “the dream goes on” after Ferrari picked up his option and retained his services for 2016.

Following months of intense rumours and speculation , the Finn was officially confirmed alongside Sebastian Vettel on Wednesday.

“For me, to be able to stay another year at Ferrari means that the dream goes on,” said Raikkonen. “The Scuderia is my family, as I always said, it’s here I want to end my career.

“I am more committed than ever and I want to say thank you to the people who gave me this chance. Also, a big thank you goes to all my Ferrari fans, for their continuous support.”

Prior to the official announcement, Maurizio Arrivabene had repeatedly claimed that Raikkonen’s future at Maranello depended on his results and performances.

Despite trailing Vettel by 84 points in the championship, the Ferrari team principal explained that continuity was the driving force behind the eventual decision to keep the 2007 world champion aboard.

“We believe that extending Kimi’s contract into the next season will provide further stability to the team,” said Arrivabene.

“This has been our guideline, also considering the very good relationship between Kimi and Seb [Vettel]. On our side, this shows our great confidence in him, and I expect this confidence to be well rewarded”.

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