McLaren opted to sign current champion Jenson Button to partner with Lewis Hamilton. The Finnish driver, who was replaced by Fernando Alonso at Ferrari, said he prefers to take a year off and wait for a spot with a competitive team after failing to reach a deal with McLaren.

He’s had a phenomenal career and obviously, still competitive in his 40s.LONDON – Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen confirmed Thursday that he will take a one-year sabbatical from Formula One next season and said it's uncertain whether he will return in 2011. He’s had a remarkable career he’s an icon of the sport it’s more of a case of what he doesn’t say than what he does say but I think he’s going to be greatly missed. “We’d had some discussions, but it didn’t quite come to play. Kimi, after his comeback from his sabbatical, he’d obviously had a relationship with Red Bull during his rallying time and the beginning of his career,” said Horner. “Yes, we had some talks with Kimi, you know, back when there was a choice to who to replace Mark Webber. READ MORE: ‘I’d always be Kimi in computer games’ – Hamilton leads tributes to Raikkonen after Finn announces retirement

Red Bull Team Principal Horner said discussions for Raikkonen to join his team in 2014 fell short, however. Raikkonen, who missed the Dutch Grand Prix having tested positive for Covid-19, won the 2007 Formula 1 championship, and on his way to taking the record for most F1 appearances, raced for Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, Ferrari again, and currently Alfa Romeo. The enigmatic, inimitable Kimi Raikkonen announced last week that 2021 would be his final season in Formula 1 – but how close did the likes of Red Bull, Williams, Honda and Force India come to signing him? Team bosses Toto Wolff, Christian Horner and Otmar Szafnauer reveal all…

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