Toyota unaware of any WRC plans for Kimi Raikkonen

Toyota has denied suggestions that Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen could return to the World Rally Championship with the Japanese manufacturer in 2019.

The Ferrari driver is widely expected to call it a day on his career in F1 at the end of the current season, although he recently said a departure from the Scuderia would not necessarily be his call.

The 2007 world champion was dropped by Ferrari at the end of the 2009 season and decided thereafter to try his hand at rallying, running with Citroen in 2010 and then with his own team the year after before returning to F1 with Lotus in 2012.

Raikkonen told F1 Racing earlier this year that he would be interested in a second stint in the world of rallying. “Maybe some races,” said the Finn. “For fun.”

• Raikkonen willing to give it another go in 2019 with Ferrari!

Reports in the Finnish media last week quoted Mia Miettinen – the executive vice-president of Tommi Makkinen Racing, the team that runs Toyota's WRC programme – as saying his team would also be open to an opportunity to run Raikkonen in the future.

"Kimi could be a good option for Toyota, but he has to decide whether he continues his career with Ferrari," said Miettinen.

That was news however to Kaj Lindstrom, Toyota's sporting director.

"This is the first I've heard of it," said Lindstrom.

"Clearly if anything like this was going to happen I would have been the first to hear about it from Tommi or him [Raikkonen].

"For me, this is pure speculation."

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