Hamilton Snr eyes Raikkonen for McLaren seat

Lewis Hamilton would welcome Kimi Raikkonen as his new McLaren teammate, the British driver's father and manager Anthony Hamilton has confirmed.

2008 world champion Hamilton has until now stated his desire to keep Heikki Kovalainen alongside him, raising suggestions he does not want to be challenged by the occupant of the sister car.

"First, I want to say that neither Lewis nor myself have any influence on the decision," Hamilton Snr told the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat.

"But if I was deciding between Kimi and Heikki, I would go for Kimi," he added, "even if I have nothing against Heikki. We've always like him; he's a great teammate and does his job well.

"Kimi is a cool guy," Anthony Hamilton added. "I think he is the prime candidate and the best driver to be at Lewis' side in this team; they would push each other on."