WRC.com reported this morning that 2007 Formula World Champion Kimi Raikkonen will drive a Citroen C4 WRC for the Citroen junior team next season. The announcement comes as news that Fernando Alonso will join Ferrari in 2010 becomes official.
Bringing personal sponsor Red Bull with him, Raikkonen will join 25-year-old Sebastian Ogier on the junior squad.
Apparently winning the F1 driver's championship brings some clout because Raikkonen's rally experience is surprisingly limited in a sport where youth and enthusiasm is far less important that experience. He crashed out of Rally Finland last summer after running 15th overall in an S2000-class Fiat Abarth Grande Punto.
Petter Solberg, the 2003 World Rally Champion, will run next season in a C4 WRC under as his own team: The Petter Solberg World Rally Team. Solberg ran most of the 2009 season in a privately entered four-year-old Citroen Xsara WRC.
rallyandbosox says:
08:32 AM, 12/ 5/09
Great news for Kimi! Yeah he won't be in F1, but he'll follow his passion and hopefully do well. I feel a bit bad for Solberg who should've gotten a Citroen Junior drive as well, no doubt he's still got what it takes to compete.
Go Kimi!
sgude says:
10:41 AM, 12/ 7/09
Sad to see the Kimster leave F1 -- he proved that he is still an incredible driver, as he showed at Spa this year. Given a good car, he's still one of the top five drivers in F1 (Hamilton, Alonso, Vettel, Massa and Raikkonen).
Sixth would be Jenson. No disrespect to the reigning WC, but...