Less than four weeks ago these were Räikkönen's words when asked about the prospect - "You never know, but I will probably never return to Formula One.
"It's something I did for many years, I had many great moments.
"I won a world championship title, which is what I always wanted, but times have changed.
"Now I'm in rallying, and there are many other things apart from Formula One in life."
Now bearing in mind Räikkönen was famed during his time in F1 for mumbling his way through answers when asked as to his future, that is about as unequivocal a statement as you are likely to get from the Finn.
After being ousted from Ferrari in favour of Fernando Alonso, but not without a substantial pay-off bearing in mind he still had a year remaining on his contract, and finding there was nowhere to go, Räikkönen scratched an itch by turning to the World Rally Championship.
Offered a drive by the Citroën Junior team, it is fair to say the 30-year-old has had a tough debut year, scoring points in only four of the nine events in which he has competed.
In contrast, team-mate Sebastien Ogier is second in the standings after winning two of the last five events, and in only his third full season.
No-one expected Räikkönen, though, to simply jump into a rally car and immediately be competing at the front as it is a steep learning curve, just as in Formula One.
Certainly Citroën Junior boss Benoit Nogier, far from expressing any displeasure with Raikkonen, is understood to be happy to give him a second season as that will truly be the mark of whether he has what it takes or not.
So you can understand Räikkönen's comments last month, believing there was again no competitive place open to him, certainly with the seats at Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes all taken.
But then Räikkönen is understood to have watched Robert Kubica's performance in the Belgian Grand Prix, and saw an opening.
Kubica qualified and finished third, suggesting Renault are slowly restoring their battered reputation, on and off track in the wake of last year's 'crash-gate' scandal.
The Pole has claimed 108 of the team's 127 points this season, and they are pushing Mercedes hard for fourth spot in the constructors' championship, a feat that would have been laughed at a year ago, so far had they fallen.
Like Räikkönen in the WRC, Kubica's team-mate Vitaly Petrov has failed to set F1 alight in his rookie campaign, and after 14 races immature mistakes are still being made.
In the last two qualifying sessions, Petrov spun in Spa when there was no pressure and then blocked Timo Glock in Monza, relegating him to 23rd and 20th on the grid for the Belgian and Italian Grands Prix respectively.
Such errors have cost the team valuable points as he finished ninth and 13th in those two races when it was clear from Kubica's third and eighth that so much more was possible.
There is every indication Renault would like to keep faith with the Russian because a debut year can often be misleading, with a second season ultimately sorting the wheat from the chaff.
But in a results-driven business, do you persist with a driver like Petrov, or do you go for a proven winner and past champion such as Räikkönen?
That is the dilemma for Renault team owner Gerard Lopez and team principal Eric Boullier, who this week confirmed Räikkönen "is on the radar now."
That is because, and somewhat surprisingly given those remarks last month, Räikkönen approached Renault about a possible drive for the team for 2011.
But as Lopez pointed out this week Renault's reversal in form and fortune compared to their nadir of a year ago, means they are in an enviable position where they can afford to pick and choose.
Räikkönen's return would undeniably be welcome as that would throw up the prospect of there being five world champions - potentially six should Mark Webber win the title this year - being on the grid for next season.
For a deal to be struck, it all boils down to a question of who needs who the most.
Source: Sportinglife.com
Courtesy: WHATEVER
