Close ... Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen shares a joke with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Source: William West / AAP
Kimi Raikkonen says he is yet to give any thought about where he might drive next year amid renewed speculation the Finn may replace Mark Webber at Red Bull.
With the relationship between Webber and Sebastian Vettel, which was lukewarm at the best of times, hitting an irreparable low in the fall-out from Vettel's contentious victory at the Malaysian GP, Webber is expected to leave the world champions when his one-year deal expires in eight months.
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Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo and highly-rated young charger Felix da Costa have both been cited as candidates to replace Webber, but it is Raikkonen who appears to be in pole position to fill the seat alongside Vettel.
Nevertheless, Raikkonen is adamant he is in no rush to finalise a deal for next season despite his own deal with Lotus expiring at the end of this year.
"I have no contract for next year - that much is true. But further than that, I don't want to discuss the matter. I want to do well this season and everything else will fall into place," he told the official Formula 1 website.
"There are many things that are undecided and there is still a long way to go this season, so let's see how things unfold. We will see pretty significant changes when teams switch to their 2014 car development - and then it will be interesting to see what is going on."
Speculation that Raikkonen is poised to transfer to Red Bull has intensified in recent weeks, with Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft among those predicting the Finn will partner Vettel next year.
"From talking to people in the paddock and watching what is going on, I just have the feeling that a big-name signing, even though they have plenty of good up-and-coming drivers in the Red Bull development programme, is what they want," Croft said.
Unlike the plain-spoken Webber, who caused a stir in midweek by dining with Vettel's rival Fernando Alonso, Raikkonen is a close friend of the German and possesses the sort of laidback character which is likely to bring harmony to a team ripped apart by events at Sepang.
"Kimi is holding a lot of good cards," said Sky F1 pundit Anthony Davidson. "Raikkonen is good friends with Vettel and they play badminton together - and apparently Kimi always wins."
Whereas visualising Raikkonen in a Red Bull racing suit next year is easier to foresee than imagining the taciturn Finn decked out in a badminton kit, the picture is cloudier for Webber's future.
While the rumours of Webber signing a five-year deal with Porsche were given short shrift by the 36-year-old in the Bahrain paddock this week, the veteran dodged an invitation on Friday to confirm he will continue in F1 next year and a switch of motorsport series remains feasible.
Read more at http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/news/12473/8662572/Kimi-Raikkonen-backed-for-Red-Bull-move-as-he-insists-he-won-t-be-rushed-into-choice
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