Several specialized European media outlets have informed that the Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen and the Italian team Scuderia Ferrari have reached a new agreement and will continue the partnership for the 2019 Formula 1 World Championship.

According to guiamotor.com, the presence of Mintuu Raikkonen, Kimi’s wife, and Robin Raikkonen, his eldest son, at the recent Hungarian Grand Prix, was a result of a meeting which took place between Kimi and Ferrari’s management, in which the Finnish driver was officially informed of the team’s willingness to continue together for at least one more year.

“Kimi Raikkonen received the approval of the team in the days before the Hungarian race and this explains his so familiar and jovial attitude during the weekend of the last race.” – the Spanish outlet informs.

Although the agreement has apparently been sealed, the official announcement could take a little while, as Kimi Raikkonen is on vacation until the end of the month and most importantly because usually Ferrari waits for such announcements until its home race at Monza, meaning that most likely the official statement will be made between the Belgian Grand Prix and the Italian Grand Prix, which is scheduled to take place just one week after the race at Spa.

If the information will be confirmed in the following weeks, the 2019 Formula 1 season would be the eighth year in which Kimi Raikkonen defends the colors of Ferrari. The 39-year-old Finn signed his first deal with the Maranello team back in 2007 championship and since then, with the exception of the 2012 and 2013 seasons, his Formula 1 career has been associated with Ferrari.