Shouldn’t a former WRC champion find it easier to get a competitive drive in the World Rally Championship than a former Formula 1 champion?

After Subaru pulled out of the WRC, Petter Solberg struggled through most of 2009 in an aged Citroen Xsara. It was only for the last couple of rallies that he had the opportunity to get in a Ford Focus or Citroen C4 – of which he chose the latter. Last we heard, he was looking for funding for his team for next season.

On the other hand, Kimi Raikkonen, after being dropped by Ferrari, thought he might give rallying a try, having performed well in one round this season. He’s been signed up for next season by the Citroen Junior Team, backed by Red Bull, in basically the car it took Solberg most of a season to get his hands on.

It’s not quite a straight comparison though: for one thing, Solberg wants to keep running his own team.

But it is striking. The WRC, and everyone with an interest in it, is desperate to improve its profile, and importing a Formula 1 star is going to do just that. So Raikkonen is an attractive proposition: Solberg is popular with rally fans, but Raikkonen will attract new fans to rallying.

So it’s entirely understandable. But I do wonder whether Citroen, Red Bull and the WRC will be disappointed by Raikkonen as an ambassador for the sport. He’s never been keen on promotional commitments, has he?

But maybe, just maybe, the more relaxed atmosphere of rallying will bring Raikkonen out of his shell, and we’ll see the sparkling personality his fans assure us he has.