Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, the two longest-serving drivers currently on the Formula 1 grid, are being linked with moves away from the sport in 2019.
The Spaniard, who is already combining his McLaren duties with a seat at Toyota in the WEC, is now being tipped to move to IndyCar, where he competed last year at the Indianapolis 500.
Indeed, after what he described as the “most boring ever” in Monaco, he would tweet throughout the showpiece event in American motorsports stating it was the “RACE of the day” in one post.
Now the latest link comes as McLaren consider their own entry in the series, with former Indy 500 winner Gil de Ferran recently joining as an advisor.
“We are looking at some other forms of motorsport, most notably IndyCar is under review,” said McLaren CEO Zak Brown recently.
Alonso is known to have the option of one more year on his current F1 deal but his recent comments, calling the sport “sad” have called his future into question.
Meanwhile, Raikkonen is being tipped for a possible return to rallying in the WRC, where he competed in 2011 before re-joining the grid with Lotus in 2012.
Last week, Mia Miettinen, executive vice-president of Tommi Makkinen Racing which also runs Toyota’s WRC program seemed to open the door to the ‘Iceman’.
“Kimi could be a good option for Toyota, but he has to decide whether he continues his career with Ferrari,” he stated.
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Raikkonen rejected the suggestion though when asked this past weekend in Monaco.
“If you speak to the lady who wrote it you’ll probably find out there’s not much knowledge about racing or anything else. It’s rumours and [their] ideas,” he claimed.
“For sure I’m interested in rallying whenever I stop, that’s not a secret but I have zero contract to do it, anyway.
“People keep writing things but not really my issue.”
The Japanese manufacturer seemed to pour cold water on the idea though, with sporting director Kaj Lindstrom saying: “This is the first I’ve heard of it.
“Clearly if anything like this was going to happen I would have been the first to hear about it from Tommi or him.
“For me, this is pure speculation.”
