Kimi would welcome Schumacher support

Kimi Raikkonen says he would welcome Michael Schumacher’s help to settle into life at Ferrari.

The Finn is switching from McLaren to the Italian squad for 2007 as the replacement for the retired seven-time world champion.

Although Schumacher says he will take time away from the sport, Ferrari revealed that it plans to give him a "super-assistant" role to assist CEO Jean Todt.

And Raikkonen says he would be foolish to overlook the chance to tap into his predecessor’s experiences after 11 hugely successful seasons at Maranello.

“Definitely,” he said in an interview with Germany’s Bild newspaper.

“I would be silly, if I didn’t use it.

“It would be very good, if Michael could help me to settle in at Ferrari.”

The 27-year-old signed a three-year contract with the Scuderia and although he thinks it is not impossible for a driver to beat Schumacher’s record haul of world titles in the future, he has ruled himself out of challenging the German’s mark.

“I am convinced that his record does not have to be for eternity,” he said.

“I won’t be racing long enough for seven titles.

“Perhaps this Ferrari contract is already my last.”

However he did promise his new team that he is prepared to adopt a Schumacher-style work ethic from when he joins in January.

“If Ferrari wants, I can work every evening to 10pm in the future,” he said.

“I am not afraid of hard work.”