McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh has continued to flirt with the available Kimi Raikkonen, saying that the Finn would fit in well with the team, as the 2007 champ and his former team move closer to ending up in each others arms for the 2010 season.
Raikkonen is the biggest name left on the driver market, after Fernando Alonso was signed by Ferrari for 2010 and Robert Kubica confirmed a move to Renault, and numerous paddock rumours have suggested that the Finn is having "advanced discussions" with the team he drove for from 2002 to 2006, in a move that would see him partner Lewis Hamilton next season.
Raikkonen has already stated that he feels under no obligation to stay in F1 for the sake of it, and says that he will only join a team for 2010 if they are potential title-winners, an issue that might hinder Toyota's efforts to snatch him from under McLaren's noses.
And although Whitmarsh was quick to point out that they have come to no agreement with a second driver for 2010, and that current incumbent Heikki Kovalainen is still in the frame despite a disappointing two seasons with the Woking-based team to date, he did admit that Raikkonen would be a tempting name for the team.
"The answer is simple," Whitmarsh grinned inanely in an interview with the official F1 website, "We have not determined a driver line-up yet and we haven't set a timetable for doing so. We now have clarity about Ferrari's drivers, and we know now that other drivers are available."
One worry he seems to have is whether signing a second superstar alongside Hamilton would disrupt the harmony within the team. Previous "superteam" line-ups, including Alonso and Hamilton in 2007 and Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya in 2005 and 2006 have been disastrous for the team, who failed to capture a title in any of those star-studded seasons. Hamilton and his management team are believed to have reservations about Raikkonen joining the team for next season.
"I think we are very fortunate at the moment as there is tremendous harmony in the team," Whitmarsh admitted, "Both of our current drivers aren't political; they are very open to one another and they genuinely like each other. Team-mates don't necessarily like each other – that is not a prerequisite. They have to be honest and open and not political; that is part of the ingredients needed this year.
"We started in a very poor state with a slow car and then we had other controversies at the beginning of the year. I have to say I am personally proud of how the team pulled together during the year. I credit that to the genuine harmony among people who enjoy working together – and for the future, whatever driver line-up we have, you want to have that."
On the subject of the struggling Kovalainen, Whitmarsh said: "We try and give Heikki every opportunity to do a good job; Heikki is a very committed driver and a lovely chap, and we would like him to get some good results over the rest of the season. We are focusing on that and are not announcing a driver line-up for the moment. We will continue to review the situation and, once we know, we will announce it."
But he did aim a number of thinly-veiled ego-massages in Raikkonen's direction, affirming the earlier view expressed by Mercedes boss Norbert Haug that the Finn would gel well with the team.
"Kimi is a fantastic driver, and I like him and know him well – he was with the team for five years. He is quick, he is committed and I think he probably would be very committed to beating Ferrari in the future, knowing him. All these are attractive things with Kimi.
"He is not political, he is absolutely straightforward – what you see is what you get with Kimi – and on top of that everyone knows that he is a winning driver. I think he has been underestimated technically. He is a very good racing driver and I think he would fit well in this team, if we choose to go down that route."
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