Formula One Kimi Raikkonen to join Sebestian Vettel at Red Bull in 2012

Formula One reigning constructor's champion Red Bull is planning to pair reigning driver's champion Sebastian Vettel with his good friend Kimi Raikkonen in 2012. The news came after Mark Webber ignored team orders at the end of the British grand prix.

Kimi and Vettal were mates during their days in F1 together. The Ice men Raikkonen, 31, left Formula one at the end of 2009 season. Since then, the Ferrari and McLaren driver is involved in world rally. Red Bull team boss Christian Horner was quoted as saying “I believe he has put F1 behind him”.

Bild said the plan to replace Australian Mark Webber with Kimi Raikkonen is a “top secret”. German Vettel remains friends with Kimi Raikkonen since early stages of their career. The duo often meet in Switzerland to play badminton, their favorite sport off the track. Even Vettal said recently Kimi would be his ideal teammate after Webber.

The 2007 world champion had talks with Red Bull last year and has now “apparently changed his mind” about wanting to stay in rallying and NASCAR. And referring to Mark Webber, Red Bull’s driver manager Helmut Marko said “We have other options but I don’t want to talk about them now.”  The report also said Raikkonen told a Finnish journalist recently: “I have never said that my formula one career is over.”