The 2007 Formula 1 World champion talks of his return to the sport with the lotus F1 Team after two years away in the forests and stages of the World Rally championship

WHY F1?
Formula 1 is something very special in my racing career, and you always want to race at the toughest level, so Formula 1 is where you want to race if you have a choice.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE TEAM NOW YOU’VE COMPLETED TWO DAYS TESTING?
I’m happy with the team, they are very nice people, very easy going and it was nice to work with them for the two days I did in the R30. I think we’ll have a lot of fun in the season ahead and hopefully we will get some good results. I want a strong enough car to challenge for good results.

WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO FINISH RALLYING AND TO GO BACK TO FORMULA 1?
When I did the NASCAR races, I enjoyed the racing and I want to do more racing. I still want to do rally and if I could I’d do them both at the same time – but this isn’t possible. For sure I will do rallying again in the future. I want to do racing as I had a really good time in NASCAR racing against other people and I realised that I was missing this – that’s when I decided that if there was a good chance to return properly that I would do it.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW F1 HAS CHANGED SINCE YOU LAST COMPETED?
In 2010 I didn’t really follow Formula 1 but I saw more races last year. It doesn’t really look different, but there is overtaking in some different places where people can just drive past by opening the rear wing and the driver in front has no chance to defend himself – so is this really overtaking? I don’t think it counts all the time. But for sure the show is better. The tyres make a difference too, as there is a big speed difference between when the tyres are new and when the tyres are old. In the old Formula 1, you had to be so much faster than the guy in front of you to have any chance to overtake, but now with the tyres and the DRS, it’s different.

DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO PROVE WITH YOUR RETURN?
I think people expect things from me, but as long as I know that I’m giving 100% and I’m happy with my driving then I’m happy. If those aspects are true and it’s not enough, then it’s not enough.

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR NEW TEAM-MATE, ROMAIN GROSJEAN?
I think we will have a good relationship. I met him before Christmas and I raced against him in 2009. He seems a very nice and normal guy, so I don’t see any problems there.

There's been much talk about the F1 returns of Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher, but Jonathan Noble wonders just who really is the 'Comeback King' of 2012 so far

It was just like Formula 1 had rolled back the years at Valencia last Sunday.

There was the wily old fox Fernando Alonso at the top of the podium after a stirring and emotional afternoon in front of his home fans that left him struggling to hold back the tears. Alongside the Spaniard were not a couple of F1's new wave of youngsters, all chomping at the bit to try and knock the establishment off its perch, but instead it was the establishment itself: with Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher rewinding the clock a little bit for a flashback to Magny-Cours 2005 when the three men – looking a bit more youthful – were up there in the same positions spraying the champagne.

read more http://plus.autosport.com/premium/feature/4563/who-is-f1-real-comeback-king-in-2012/

After finishing third at the Spanish Grand Prix last month, the Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion, was asked in the televised post-race press conference to discuss the race in his native language, as is the custom.

“Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers in Finland,” Raikkonen said in Finnish.

There was a pause as the questioner expected more. But it became clear that the driver known as Iceman for his cold demeanor, nerves of steel and few words, had completed his statement.

Asked a few minutes later in an off-air press conference why he had said so little — and nothing about the race at that — he replied, “I had nothing else to say.”

It was more than just typical Raikkonen. It was a defining moment of the return to Formula One  of one of the series’ least expressive champions, after two years’ absence. But in his own way, it was a precise expression of his current sentiment: Raikkonen has returned to Formula One after leaving at the end of 2009 to take up rally racing, and he has found himself with a Lotus racing car that can win races. After small problems in the early races, he finished second in Bahrain and then third in Spain, and he felt victory at his fingertips. He has scored points in all but one race, and lies sixth in the series after seven races.

read more http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/22/sports/autoracing/22iht-srf1profile22.html

Kimi Raikkonen, LotusKimi Raikkonen believes the track surface at Montreal should suit the supersoft Pirelli tyres in the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.

Despite struggling in Monaco, eventually finishing in ninth position, the Finn is confident that Lotus can overcome the set-up issues that blighted his weekend and return to form in Canada.

"The surface is quite smooth so it won't be so hard for the rear tyres. I don't think it will be the easiest thing because the tyres are pretty soft," he said.

He conceded that Lotus will need to do better in Canada if Raikkonen is to fulfil his and the team's potential.

"We will try to do things slightly better than before and to get the maximum out of the car, I have to drive as well as I can and hopefully then we will be faster," said Raikkonen.

However, the 32-year-old says that Lotus will not be the only team with set-up issues in Canada and that the driver has a key role to play in managing the tyres during the race.

"We are probably not the only people to have those, so I think if everybody would know how to fix them then it sounds a simple thing, but it is difficult to get exactly the tyres working and different teams have had different problems in different races," he said.

"If you go faster then you will pay a bigger price in the long run so you have to know when to pace yourself and if you are a good driver then you should know," he added.

 Kimi Raikkonen is known for his no-nonsense approach, especially when he is behind the wheels. The 2007 world champion, who returned to Formula One this year after a two-year hiatus, has found his rhythm right from the first race of the season. In an exclusive interview, Raikkonen talks about his comeback performance and the controversy surrounding this season’s tyre compounds.

Six races, six winners. Going by the trend and your performance so far, you seem to be the most likely candidate for the next race. How do you rate your winning chances not only in Montreal but in other races as well?

Well, I think we do have chances to win a race this year, hopefully it will come soon. We have a good car and so we just need a good weekend to make it all happen. We have been on the podium, and we have had a good pace to fight, so it should be close enough to win, as well.

What do you think about the 2012 season so far? Has it been the most exciting that you have participated in and why?

It’s been a good year so far. I don’t know yet if it is the most exciting or not – we will see at the end of the season, and see what has happened. So far nobody has been able to dominate. As long as it is like that, it’s impossible to predict how the next race goes. Obviously, that’s good for the fans.


What’s the secret behind your impressive comeback? Being away from Formula One for two years doesn’t seem to have affected you much…

There is only one way to drive a F1 car and I have not forgotten it. As I’ve said it before, it feels like I have not been really been away. I have no secret – I’m as competitive as I have always been and I’m enjoying the racing and being with Lotus F1 Team.

What is your opinion about the so-called ‘tyre lottery’? Michael Schumacher has criticised the tyres saying it’s like driving on raw eggs.

I have had to discover and learn the tyres at the beginning of the year, but really I have no issue there. I think that I have adapted well. I think the biggest effect comes with the fuel loads. In the first part of the race it’s really heavy and that is the time, while you have to careful with the tyres. It takes some time to adapt, for sure.

In Bahrain and Spain, you were within striking distance of the eventual winners. What extra bit do you think is necessary to win a race? How crucial are qualifying results in this regard?

Qualifying is and has always been key but during the race anything can happen. About the extra bit, I don’t know, I think that we just need a clean race that we would start as high on the grid as possible to improve our chances to win a race.

Did you expect such an impressive performance (individual and constructor) before the start of the season considering that you were returning after two years and not with a big manufacturer team like Ferrari or McLaren?

I have decided to trust Lotus F1 Team and that is why I joined the team. I’m not surprised by the performance – they are very professional, dedicated people there and I feel at home. I felt the potential of our car, while I tested it for the first time in Jerez. The boys in Enstone have always been able to build competitive cars, so it’s not such a surprise.

How different is Formula One in 2012 compared to when you left it in 2009?

Nothing has changed, it’s the same as before – some rules have evolved, I had KERS three years ago, but now there are DRS and the Pirelli tyres etc but nothing is different. Racing is still done in the same way. The quickest usually wins.