Raikkonen has shown desire to retire from F1 at the end of the year

The rumour mill suggests that Ferrari have already made up their mind about the driver who will be replacing Raikkonen for Ferrari from next season on.

While initially they were slated to bring in Ricciardo, his salary demands will prove to be a little too much for Ferrari considering they also have to manage the high salary of Vettel.

Charles Leclerc has now emerged as the top contender for that Ferrari seat, after impressive performances from the young Sauber driver this year.

According to reports in Circus F1, Raikkonen had earlier this year expressed his desire to leave the sport of F1 by the end of the season, providing Ferrari with enough time to find an alternative.

Raikkonen started the season strong but fell off radar thereafter, unable to come up with consistent performances, despite Ferrari having the car to easily compete with the best.

Kimi has been renewing his contract with Ferrari for the last two years but it seems like he has had enough and can see that his performances have been on the decline.

Also, with so much speculation around Ricciardo’s move and Leclerc making his way up the ranks, it is natural and commendable on part of Raikkonen to step aside and let the new crop take over.

The report also states that Raikkonen could make an official announcement after the three back-to-back European races.

The Finn’s announcement could trigger a host of movements in the F1 circuit and maybe also pave way for a few new drivers to come in.

Interesting times ahead!