Haug: Raikkonen still to decide future

Raikkonen has been at the centre of a media frenzy about his future plans, with recent rumours suggesting that confirmation of his deal with Ferrari would even come at this weekend's San Marino Grand Prix.

But after Ferrari sporting director Jean Todt moved to play down the Raikkonen talk earlier this week, Mercedes-Benz motorsport boss Norbert Haug has insisted that the situation for his team remains unchanged - and that it is up to them to produce a quick car that convinces Raikkonen to stay at McLaren in 2007.

"Nothing has changed," explained Haug. "Both Kimi and his management have reaffirmed that no decision has been taken yet. And I can hardly imagine that such a decision would be taken behind our back.

"In fact, we remain rather cool, since in the past, many strange things have been written. Just take the story that Michael Schumacher would join us,  which was sold as a fact, with the slight catch however that it turned out to be far-fetched.

"I should have actually collected all those stories, also the ones about Kimi and Ferrari, and I should send them out at an appropriate time - let's say next Christmas."

Haug adds that rumours suggesting a deal between Raikkonen and Ferrari was signed as early as last year does not make sense - because of the struggles that the Italian outfit were facing throughout the 2005 season.

"Common sense would demand that Kimi signing a deal with Ferrari as early as last year is not very logical. Why should he do such a thing at a time when he was sitting in the quickest car around and when Ferrari was in a deep low?"