Thursday, July 20 2006 14:53 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

London: Renault look set to engage archrivals Ferrari in a tug-of-war for the services of McLaren star Kimi Raikkonen next season.

The Finnish driver has been linked to Ferrari for the past few months with some suggesting that the McLaren driver has already put pen to paper.

However, Renault F1 president Alain Dassas, who described Raikkonen as one of the greatest drivers, revealed he was the team's top priority for 2007.

"It's no secret, Raikkonen is our priority for the 2007 season," Dassas told Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport.

"We are talking with Räikkönen about a contract," he said.

Renault have already confirmed Giancarlo Fisichella for next year but have long been in the running to secure the Finn as a replacement for Fernando Alonso who is switching to McLaren.

Dassas has however, ruled out test driver Heikki Kovalainen, claiming the youngster's lack of experience was too much of a risk.

"To have a driver with no experience like (Kovalainen) would be risky. In F1 nowadays, you need quick, immediate results, and it could be a problem to obtain them with a debutant," he said.