Kimi Raikkonen says the current speculation around his Formula One future at Ferrari is “nothing new” to him, with the Finn convinced that the media and pundits “have very, very little understanding of what’s really going on.”
Raikkonen’s contract with the Scuderia is set to expire at the end of the current campaign.
While the 2007 world champion is keen to prolong his spell at Maranello, Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne recently warned that any extension for 2017 will come on merit.
Quizzed on the topic during Thursday’s FIA press conference ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, Raikkonen was his usual self in his reply.
“I have a contract for this year and I don't know what will happen next year,” he said. “There’s always a lot of talk every year, since I got to Formula One it’s the same story, it’s nothing new and people talk a lot all the time.
“But people can say whatever they want, they have very, very little understanding of what’s really going on. If I were making all the decisions it would very easy to know what I would do, but I don’t.
“We try to do our best and for sure the team knows my side of the story and that’s enough for me. I have no interest in talking about it here or anywhere else, apart from with the team.”
After a strong start to his 2016 campaign that saw him claim three podium finishes in five races, Raikkonen has been stuck in a rut across recent grands prix.
Although some of it has been his undoing, the 36-year-old also had to deal with questionable strategy calls from Ferrari. The Finn refuses to apportion blame though.
“I think we did the best we could,” Raikkonen added. “People outside the team can talk as much as they want, we cant control them and it’s not our business.
“Obviously, as a team we’re always trying to improve we always look at what we’ve done over the weekends, we haven’t had easy weekends lately but we managed to turn things around quite well as a team.
“Some decisions have to be made and I have no issues with them. Like I said, we try to make the best as a team and certain situations changed because of those decisions.”
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