Ferrari has officially confirmed Kimi Raikkonen’s return to the Prancing Horse in 2014.
The Finn, who won the 2007 world title with the Scuderia, has inked a two-year deal that will see him paired with the team’s existing former world champion, Fernando Alonso.
Ferrari posted a brief announcement to its website just a day after Felipe Massa confirmed his own exit via his personal Twitter account.
Raikkonen completed two lacklustre seasons with Ferrari following his first-up title success before the pair parted ways with a year remaining on the driver’s contract.
The now 33-year-old spent two years out of Formula 1, in which time he dabbled in the World Rally Championship and NASCAR, before returning to Grand Prix racing with Lotus last year.
Although a race winner on two occasions, the Genii Capital-owned Lotus squad has lacked the funds required to truly compete with powerhouse squads Red Bull and Ferrari.
Raikkonen’s management enjoyed a very public negotiation over a deal for its driver to replace Mark Webber at Red Bull in 2014 before the seat was secured by long-time Red Bull project Daniel Ricciardo.
The pairing of Raikkonen and Alonso is an interesting move from Ferrari, which has traditionally fielded a clear ‘number one’ driver.