Ferrari 'damp' hopes of new driver announcement at Italian Grand Prix

Formula One side Ferrari has reportedly dampened hopes that it will be announcing a new driver at their home Italian Grand Prix next week, saying nothing is on the horizon yet.

According to Sport24, Monza, which is the last European race on the F1 calendar, is the site of big Ferrari announcements in the past, like seven-times champion Michael Schumacher's decision to retire with Kimi Raikkonen replacing him.

The report further said that the Italian team had announced contract extensions for Raikkonen and Felipe Massa before the Monza race in 2008, although Fernando Alonso's signing in 2009 was announced at the Japanese Grand Prix.

However, Ferrari's anonymous 'Horse Whisperer' column dismissed the hopes, saying that there are no announcements on the horizon as no decisions have yet been taken yet.

Meanwhile, the report said that the 2007 champion Raikkonen, who is now with Lotus, has also been linked to a possible return to the team he left in 2009 to make way for Alonso, although the Spaniard's contract runs to the end of 2016.