Kimi Raikkonen - Image: Red Bull WRC

"Contract negotiations in Formula One always come down to a wild card or two. And though we're barely halfway through the current championship, for the coming season, that wild card appears to belong to Kimi Raikkonen.

The 2007 F1 champ defected to the World Rally Championship when he didn't like his options at the end of last season, and since then rumor-mill has run rampant with speculation of his return to single-seaters. Various reports placed him at Red Bull Racing, Renault or Mercedes GP for 2011, but the latest paddock scuttlebutt suggests he'll stay on the rally stage for at least another year.

Kimi's long-term future remains to be determined, though his partnership with Red Bull (which sponsors his Citroën rally car) ostensibly opens the door for a return with the energy drink's premier F1 team. But based on how things look at the moment, that won't come until 2012 at the earliest, so the rest of the Formula One grid can breathe a little easier for another season."

Source [Autoblog]

 

I don't see him coming back to F1 if he's not driving next season, 2 years away from single seater and into rallying will change his driving mindset and would make it really hard to keep up with the younger drivers who are used to the new cars and technology.

Loss for the sport.

 

One year in rally would do him horrible, two years in rally will be great. It'll clear his mind of any bad thoughts still left over from F1. Hoping into a car in 2012 would be great for him with all of his new experience.