Leave Raikkonen alone - Jordan - 25th March 13:15pm GMT

Ferrari have been warned NOT to call time on Kimi Raikkonen's binge drinking if they want him to win the world crown.

The Italian Formula One giants should allow Raikkonen to let his hair down when he's not racing rather than attempt to mould him into one of their corporate clones.

And while being boozed up may have dented former England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff's career, it won't rock Raikkonen's chances of lifting motor sport's richest prize.

That's the view of ex-Grand Prix team owner Eddie Jordan who feels Raikkonen will perform better if - like the scarlet machine he powered to victory in the season's opening Australian Grand Prix - he's occasionally well oiled.

Irishman Jordan revealed: "It's a well-known fact the Finns love a bevy and can consume heroic quantities of alcohol, and Kimi is just following a national tradition. The Irish get lashed on pints of Guinness but the Finns do it with enormous amounts of vodka.

"He's been caught absolutely bladdered on several occasions but it's to be expected. He's 27, my kids are a similar age, and I know what a good night out means to them. And why the hell not?"

Raikkonen landed in hot water at McLaren last season when it was claimed he exposed himself in a London lap dancing club during a wild night withmates. And he angered his new Ferrari bosses before the Melbourne showdown when reports of him staggering around karaoke bars in Helsinki appeared in the Finnish press.

Jordan added: "Providing it's not during a raceweekend or during testing I feel Kimi is entitled to get hammered every now and again.

"Fellow Finns Keke Rosberg and Mika Hakkinen both liked a drink and a smoke behind closed doors and it never did them any harm. They both won world titles.

"If you change someone's make-up they don't perform to their best. When you sign a driver with Raikkonen's talent you just have to accept the way he likes to live his life.

"It's a sad day when you are trying to force your aces to become even more corporate."