In the McLaren's Brazilian Grand Prix race preview Pedro de la Rosa says:
The race will be Kimi Raikkonen's last for McLaren and he said:After the disappointing race we had in Suzuka, I am looking forward to getting back on track and working with the team to finish the year on a high. The test in Jerez this week has been positive, with a lot of the focus on tyres with Michelin and as a result, we feel confident we will be able to get more out of them at Interlagos.
Martin Whitmarsh, CEO of Team McLaren Mercedes said:This will be my final race with Team McLaren Mercedes; I am of course sad to be leaving the team. We have had some great times together and it would be fantastic to go out with a win. It is going to be tough, but we are all pushing hard to try and make it happen.
This race marks a definite end of an era for us as a racing organisation with the departure of Kimi. Ron spoke for the team in Monza when he said how much we have enjoyed working with Kimi since the start of the 2002 season and we wish him all the best.