Jenson Button may have secured the McLaren hotseat to race alongside Lewis Hamilton, but outgoing F1 driver Kimi Raikkonen leaves both men trailing in the category marked 'superhuman'.

Well OK, superhuman may be over-doing it, but he does have a nickname that deserves comic book status: the Iceman.

The Iceman (a woefully underused way of describing sporty Scandinavians, we're sure you'd agree) was frozen out at Ferrari earlier this autumn and now seems set for four-wheeled frolics on ice as a rally driver.

In common with many comic book creations, the Iceman doesn't say a lot and his words aren't weighed down with deep meaning, but his animated F1 driving has been the stuff of dreams... or nightmares, depending on which side of the 'no pain no gain' credo you fall.

When Raikkonen's car burst into flames in the pit lane on the first lap of this year's Brazilian GP and drops of petrol trickled into his eyes, rather than leap out of the car, douse his eyes in Optrex and run to an optician, he put his foot to the floor and rejoined the race.

The fire went out, but the flammable fluid in his eyes remained. Despite the risk of an incendiary outcome just around the cornea (apologies), he continued for the duration of the race - 70 laps - and finished sixth.

Afterwards the flaming Finn monotoned: "I ended up with some drops of petrol in my eye from the fuel line stuck on Heikki Kovalainen's car and then I was engulfed in flames and blinded. I was going to stop, but luckily the flames soon went out."

He added, with all the emotion of Schwarzenegger delivering a Hollywood line: "My eyes are still burning, but I'm all right."

Driving at speeds of up to 200mph for 70 laps while virtually blinded with your eyes about to combust may seem superhuman or stupid, but this is mere child's play for a man who has been described, often and unimaginatively, as born to drive... brings to mind an image of a baby Raikkonen driving his mother back from the maternity ward with the umbilical cord still attached like a fuel hose feeding a Ferrari. Born to drive indeed.

In 2002, while racing for McLaren, Belgium GP fans looked on incredulously as he powered his car into a sea of smoke caused by the blow-up of a BAR Honda.

Most drivers would have slammed on the brakes knowing that, somewhere in the dense black cloud, the obstacle of a slain F1 car was lying, but the Finn accelerated into the blackness and emerged from the smouldering plume like the T1000 in Terminator 2. A best qualifying lap was in the bag.

And at Suzuka in 2005 he put in a Herculean effort to rise from the back of the grid and torpedo past Giancarlo Fisichella's Renault on the final lap to take the chequered flag. Oh and he won the world championship in his first season at Ferrari.

While Raikkonen's F1 driving was dramatic, his interviews were devoid of drama. When he spoke to the media - he preferred not to - he did so in a Dalek-like drawl.

He sometimes needed waking up shortly before the start of a race after a power nap - or just a nap - and he could be ruder than Amy Winehouse. His response to being asked if he would get over the disappointment of missing a special presentation involving football great Pele and Michael Schumacher at the 2006 Brazilian GP: "Yeah. I was having a ----."

Now the flying Finn is heading for a Formula One sabbatical. He leaves F1 unchallenged as the paddock's monosyllabic maverick.

Interviewer: Kimi, have you ever got angry about anything?
Raikkonen: Yeah, many times but more in normal life than racing.
Interviewer: Can you give us examples?
Raikkonen: No, not really.
Interviewer: What are the kind of things that make you angry in normal life, as you say?
Raikkonen: If you keep asking questions like those.

Formula 1's driver market merry-go-round burst into life this week when Jenson Button made the shock switch from Brawn GP to McLaren for 2010. One of the consequences of that move is that it appears to have forced Kimi Raikkonen to take a sabbatical from grand prix racing - although there are rumours now he could take the seat vacated by the world champion.

With speculation linking Raikkonen with moves to the World Rally Championship or Le Mans, AUTOSPORT caught up with Raikkonen's manager Steve Robertson in Macau to find out what the situation was now that Button's future plans had been decided.

Q. Can you clarify what the current situation with Kimi Raikkonen is. Is it 100 per cent that he will not be in Formula 1 next year?

Steve Robertson: Pretty much so - although you could never say 100 per cent. Kimi had a goal and a team he wanted to be with, but it didn't work out. We tried. We had many meetings with McLaren, but unfortunately there were a few issues there that we could not find common ground on. And we realised in the last four or five days that it would be very difficult for a deal to be done.

And Kimi, if he cannot get a competitive drive in F1, where he feels he can win races and the championship, then he does not need to do F1 for the money. He does it because he wants to win. He would rather take a year out, with the possibility of coming back in 2011.

Q. Does he have the hunger to get back into F1?

SR: Yes. As far as Kimi is concerned he has unfinished business - if the opportunity is there to win races and another championship. That is his main goal. Now it looks like he is not doing F1 we will look at other options. Rallying, or something else – but there is nothing firmed up in that area yet because F1 has only just finished for us in the last few days. Now it is the time to discuss other things.

Q. Are there any ongoing talks with F1 teams right now? There has been speculation that Kimi could take the Mercedes GP seat vacated by Jenson Button.

SR: This is Formula 1. If they can offer, or convince us, that they can provide Kimi an opportunity that Kimi is happy with, and that we are happy with, and he feels he can win races and the championship then never say never. There is always a possibility.

Q. What do you think is most likely for Kimi next year if he does not get anything in F1? Is rallying the preferred option?

SR: In all honesty, he wanted to do a couple of rallies with F1. Since F1 has no testing, Kimi gets a little bit bored during the week because he cannot do anything. He feels it does not do him any harm. If you look at what happened this year, when he rallied and then came back to F1, his results were always strong. For him, it keeps him sharp. So if he does not do F1, then I am sure he will do something in the World Rally Championship.

Q. What would you say percentage wise his chances of eventually returning to F1 are, because a lot of fans are disappointed he will not be there in 2010 after what he did with Ferrari in the second half of this season?

SR: It is true that Kimi had a fantastic second half to the year when you consider that there was no development with that car – and he still won a race at Spa. But listen – a lot of F1 teams are interested in Kimi. He is one of those unique drivers, who gets in something and instantly he is quick. He does not need days and days of testing. It has always been that way.

There are not that many teams that would appeal to Kimi because he is honest when he says he has got to have a car to win. He is not interested in the money. Of course, money is a part of it but he doesn't need the money. He wants a car where he can show his talent. He was very frustrated this year by the fact that he could not win more races, and challenge for the championship. When you have been in F1 for nine years and been a world champion then you need challenges – and for Kimi the challenge is to win championships and races.

Q. So it is fair to say that phone will always be on for anyone willing to offer him something?

SR: Yes, for sure. Kimi had made it clear that he wants to return in the right situation.

Q. What is your reaction to Jenson Button's decision to join McLaren?

SR: Obviously, after McLaren could not get Kimi, they looked at what they thought was the next best option. People say that to have two British drivers in one team is not a good thing, but McLaren has never operated like that. They want to take the best drivers available, irrespective of nationality. It will be interesting that they have two world champions in their team next year – and I am watching with interest, like everyone else, to see how that develops.

Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen will take a sabbatical from Formula 1 next year, his manager has revealed, following the collapse of talks with McLaren about a deal for 2010.

Raikkonen said last month that, in the wake of being released from his Ferrari contract, his only option to remain in F1 was with McLaren - because he wanted to be guaranteed a top-line grand prix car.

However, amid increasing speculation that Jenson Button is on his way to the British team, Raikkonen's manager Steve Robertson revealed on Tuesday night that discussions with McLaren had come to an end.

"The options in F1 were with McLaren next season or not at all," Robertson was quoted as saying by respected Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat, which has close links with the Raikkonen camp. "Kimi and McLaren were unable to reach an agreement, so he will not drive at the F1 level - at least not next year.

"A gap year means nothing for Kimi. He is more interested in fighting for wins and the world championship. F1 will miss Kimi. He worked hard over the summer - doing things in a Ferrari that only the best drivers are capable of."

AUTOSPORT understands that there were several stumbling blocks to a deal being completed with McLaren prior to the team finding out that Button was available and interested.

As well as a difference of opinion about wages, Raikkonen and McLaren were believed to not be in agreement about the number of sponsorship appearance days he should do, or about how free he was to do rallies.

With Raikkonen only interested in returning to F1 in a race-winning car, his best option for 2011 would appear to lie with Red Bull Racing - which has a theoretical vacancy for 2011 with Mark Webber currently only contracted until the end of next year.

Although it is not clear what Raikkonen will do next year, it is possible that he will focus his efforts on the World Rally Championship – while he sorts out an F1 return. Red Bull could be involved in his rally plans too.

McLaren will retain its engine supply deal with Mercedes-Benz for at least another six years, despite the German car company's new involvement at Brawn GP.

Mercedes-Benz ended weeks of speculation about its future F1 plans on Monday when it announced that it was buying a controlling stake in Brawn.

Its switch in focus to Brawn had led to speculation that it could turn its back on McLaren entirely when its current deal ended in 2011.

However, following discussions over the last few weeks, McLaren and Mercedes-Benz have reached agreement for an engine supply deal until at least the end of 2015. The terms of the deal mean that there are options for the commitment to extend beyond then too.

With Mercedes switching its main focus to Brawn GP, it has also been announced that the McLaren Group will purchase the 40 per cent shareholding that Daimler AG currently has in the team. This will take place in a phased process to be completed before 2011.

Mercedes-Benz announced on Monday that it was to focus its efforts on Brawn GP , and bring an end to what had been an exclusive tie-up with McLaren.

Although those plans mean McLaren will not enjoy the financial support from Mercedes-Benz it has had in the past, Dennis believes that the benefits of being free to run its own car company, McLaren Automotive, will actually be a help to its F1 efforts.

His stance comes after a deal was struck with Mercedes-Benz to confirm the German car maker will supply engines until the end of 2015 at the earliest - with options available to keep the partnership going beyond then.

McLaren will also continue to run in the silver and red colours that have been a hallmark of its tie-up with both Mercedes-Benz and title sponsor Vodafone.

"This is a win-win situation, for both McLaren and Daimler," said Dennis, who is chairman of McLaren Automotive and a founding shareholder in the McLaren Group.

"I've often stated that it's my belief that, in order to survive and thrive in 21st-century Formula 1, a team must become much more than merely a team.

"That being the case, in order to develop and sustain the revenue streams required to compete and win grands prix and world championships, companies that run Formula 1 teams must broaden the scope of their commercial activities.

"Nonetheless, all of our partners will of course continue to play a crucial role in our Formula 1 programme. For that reason, and because the engines they produce are very competitive, we're delighted that Mercedes-Benz has committed to continue not only as an engine supplier but also as a partner of ours until 2015 – and perhaps thereafter."

McLaren plans to buy back the 40 percent stake in the company that Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler has had in the team, which will further strengthen McLaren's independence.

Dennis added: "The next few years will be a very exciting time for McLaren, during which period we intend to become an ever-stronger technological and economic force. Formula 1 will always be a core activity, for sound business reasons as well as for historical sporting reasons: to be clear, our Formula 1 business has traditionally enjoyed great financial security, largely as a consequence of the longevity of our contracts with our partners, many of which have exceeded 15 years of continuous involvement with McLaren. Indeed, two of our partners have been with us for more than 25 years.

"We're risk-averse by design. Over the past two years we've analysed in great detail the challenge of entering the high-performance production sports car market. In the MP4-12C, which will be introduced to market in 2011, we have a car that has inherited the genes of the iconic McLaren F1 of 1994 and has already been the subject of much global media acclaim.

"It is proposed that it will be produced in a new state-of-the-art production facility adjacent to the existing award-winning McLaren Technology Centre at Woking."