» Grief-stricken Kimi to quit motorsport?

So upset is he by the sudden and tragic death of his father that Kimi Räikkönen has apparently called a halt to any discussions about his plans for the 2011 motorsport season, according to reports from his native Finland.

The major Finnish daily, Iltalehti, reports that the 2007 F1 World Champion – who quit the sport at the end of 2009 to embark on a career in the World Rally Championship – is so grief-stricken that he may even call time on his racing career.

Now take of that what you will, but 31-year-old Räikkönen was reportedly very close to his father Matti, 56, who worked as a road builder while being an avid supporter of his son’s rapid rise through the motorsport ranks. Räikkönen Sr passed away just two days before Christmas.

“Since the death of Matti Räikkönen, all [Kimi’s] plans are on ice,” the newspaper quoted Kaj Lindstrom, the Finn’s WRC co-driver in the Red Bull Junior WRC team.

“Let’s hope he stays in rallying,” Lindstrom added.

And we certainly hope so too, for Kimi’s sake.

[Original image via eRaceMotorBlog]