Lotus team principal Eric Boullier is still doing all he can to keep Kimi Raikkonen despite suggestions the Finn has already signed for Ferrari.

Growing speculation has it Raikkonen is to return to Maranello to replace Felipe Massa.

But Boullier is ploughing on with his plans to provide him with the answers he has sought.

Out of contract with Lotus at the end of the season, Raikkonen has so far refused to sign a new deal as he has been chasing assurances about the Enstone-based team’s financial and technical future.

With Lotus dallying, that has resulted in the 33-year-old first speaking to Red Bull about a vacancy since taken up by Daniel Ricciardo, and now Ferrari.

Ferrari president Luca Di Montezemolo refused to rule Raikkonen out of the running when asked about the possibility of his return after he left the team in 2009.

That was despite the fact Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion with Ferrari, still had a year remaining on his contract as they opted to pay him off in order to bring in Fernando Alonso.

Boullier said: “I am very hopeful within a week I can have answers to the reassurances he is asking for.

“From that point on we can move very fast when it comes to talking about next year and trying to find a successful solution. It would be nice to close it by Singapore.”

But when asked about Ferrari ‘jumping the queue’, Boullier could not dismiss the fact the Maranello marque are in the running.

“There is no queue. In the end if he wants to go to Ferrari he will go to Ferrari and that’s it,” added Boullier.