Ferrari have refuted reports suggesting they are considering Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen to partner Fernando Alonso next season after Felipe Massa's inconsistent show this season, reports BBC.
"Right now, we're really not giving any thought to the driver-market situation," said a Ferrari spokesman after the team reportedly told Massa to improve to retain his place. Instead, the spokesman said the team is focused on backing Alonso to push Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel for the title. "That is our priority," he said.
Alonso is currently third in the championship, trailing Vettel by 39 points. Raikkonen is a point ahead of Alonso in second place. The season resumes after the summer break with the Belgian Grand Prix on August 25.
However, BBC sources indicate that senior Ferrari management thinks Raikkonen to be the perfect replacement for Massa. Raikkonen won the world championship for Ferrari in 2007.
Other candidates on the Ferrari list for the possible replacement of Massa are Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg, Force India drivers Paul Di Resta and Adrian Sutil and Marussia's Jules Bianchi.
Red Bull have possibly also zeroed in on Raikkonen as the replacement for Mark Webber, who will leave Formula One at the end of this season. Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo is close second for the Red Bull job.
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