Kimi Raikkonen’s manager claims the Finn was McLaren’s first choice to be paired alongside Lewis Hamilton at McLaren next season – but failure to agree terms on a deal paved the way for reigning champion Jenson Button to get the nod.

The FIA has today suggested the latest threat to the future of Formula One could be over “in the coming days”.

THE future of Formula One is again “in jeopardy” after the eight members of FOTA walked out of a meeting with the FIA yesterday, just two weeks after peace appeared to have broken out.

The Formula One Teams’ Association have today called on the World Motor Sport Council and FIA Senate to intervene in the budget cap row.

The FIA has left the door open to five of the current Formula One teams to enter the sport for next year.