Kimi Raikkonen Renews His Ferrari contract: Will Race With Ferrari till 2010 end

Ferrari have extended world champion Kimi Raikkonen's contract to the end of the 2010 season, ending speculation about the Finn's future at the team.

Raikkonen's deal had been due to end at the end of 2009, and there had been reports that Fernando Alonso was set to replace him either then or next year.

But Ferrari said in a statement on Friday that their line-up would remain unchanged for the next two seasons.

Raikkonen's team-mate Felipe Massa also has a contract until 2010.

Raikkonen has produced a string of unconvincing performances this season, when he has often looked a shadow of the man who made a spectacular late charge to win his first drivers' title last season.

The 28-year-old, who is the highest-paid driver in F1, has often been overshadowed by Massa this season and lies third in the championship, 17 points behind the Brazilian and 19 behind McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, heading into Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.

Raikkonen has so far indicated his reluctance to help Massa's title bid while he still has a mathematical chance of winning the championship himself.

It remains to be seen whether his new deal will have any effect on that approach.

So lacklustre have some of his performances been that there had even been claims that he might leave the team at the end of this season, freeing up a space for Alonso.

The Spanish double world champion is known to be a favourite of Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and is keen to drive for Ferrari in the future.

Alonso has an option to get out of his two-year Renault contract at the end of this season if he wishes and is being courted by the struggling Honda team, as well as BMW Sauber.

He remains the key to this season's driver market, but his options for the future have narrowed considerably now he knows that there will likely be no seat at Ferrari available until at least 2011.

Formula 1- Indian Grand Prix-Set for 2010

The inaugral Indian Grand Prix is due to be held in the year 2010 if Force India F-1 teams's Boss Dr.Vijay Mallya is to be belived. The Indian billionaire, who is also head of the Indian national motor sporting federation, said recently that organisers have obtained land, set aside race fees, and will build a circuit outside the capital city Delhi. It is understood Mallya is not directly involved, but he explained to F1 reporters at Hockenheim last week that the CEO of one of India's biggest banks is backing the project. Construction of the track will begin in early October, Mallya said. "For the first time, now I think I feel very confident to be able to say to you that there will be a brand new track and that we will have our first Grand Prix in 2010,"he said last Friday. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton
was in the Indian city Mumbai this week and
he also backed the plans for a Grand Prix in the country. India is certainly going to have an impact on Formula One in the next couple of years, the McLaren driver said.I believe the Indian market is enormous and if F1 can tap it, then it will benefit F1 as well as India in the long run, the Briton added.
Source: GMM