Raikkonen takes F1 sabbatical to join the WRC

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Photo: Willy Weyens ©willyweyens-rallyworld

Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen has decided to put his Formula 1 career on hold in 2010 in favour of tackling more events in the World Rally Championship.

Raikkonen's manager, David Robertson, confirmed to the BBC that after failing to find a suitable F1 drive for 2010, the 30-year-old Finn had decided to go rallying instead, before a planned return to Grand Prix racing in 2011.

Long time rally fan Raikkonen made his WRC debut on his home Rally Finland in August and impressed in his Abarth Grande Punto S2000. Despite engine problems he was placed 15th overall when he crashed his car into a ditch on the second day of the rally.

Raikkonen, who won the 2007 world title with Ferrari, left the team at the end of this season with one year of his contract remaining.

Armed with a multi million euro payoff, and after failing to land a seat with a team he felt could give him a chance of another title, Raikkonen decided to take a sabbatical from the sport. "He's one of those guys who moves on quickly - he just said 'now we concentrate on rallying,'" Robertson told the BBC. "He is now looking to find a drive in the WRC, although nothing has yet been sorted out."

Raikkonen's co-driver, Kaj Lindstrom, told wrc.com that the pair would continue to work together in 2010, but declined to comment on speculation that they would do so in a Citroen C4 WRC.

In 2008, WRC was covered by 188 countries via 228 broadcasters, with a total audience of over 633 million plus 12 million visitors to wrc.com. 2009 will see a total of 12 rallies staged across the world in Ireland, Norway, Cyprus, Portugal, Argentina, Italy, Greece, Poland, Finland, Australia, Spain and Great Britain. For more information please visit www.wrc.com.