Raikkonen deal done? - 2nd March 21:36pm GMT

A Ferrari insider has told a Finnish newspaper that Kimi Raikkonen is virtually certain to drive for Ferrari in 2007 – regardless of whether Michael Schumacher stays or not.

The Ilta-Sanomat tabloid cites a Maranello engineer saying that the only thing stopping the team announcing that it has signed Raikkonen is the potentially destabilising effect it would have on its 2006 campaign.

“The thing is so well advanced that Ferrari could announce that they’ve hired Kimi now, but they don’t want to make the same mistake as McLaren with [Fernando] Alonso,” the engineer said.

Raikkonen has insisted that he has yet to make up his mind and that his decision will depend on McLaren’s performance this year – while admitting he cannot afford to delay a decision too long.

He told Ilta-Sanomat: “I am not a Ferrari driver – not yet. And what Schumacher does has no influence on my future.”