What a difference two years make. When Kimi Raikkonen quit F1 racing to go rallying, few seemed that sorry to see him go. Now, having succeeded where another big name failed and staged a successful comeback, he is the darling of the paddock. Not that Raikkonen cares what people think - that much hasn’t changed. He just wants to go racing and win - and his win in Abu Dhabi was one of the most popular of the season. In an exclusive interview, Formula1.com caught up with the Lotus star ahead of this weekend’s Austin round…

Q: Kimi, winning the third to last race of the season is late but not too late. Before Abu Dhabi, did you still believe that it would happen this year?
Kimi Raikkonen: Ha, I always thought that it was possible. It was just a question of getting all the things right on a weekend and carry that on to the race. We’ve been able to improve the car a bit since Korea - since then we had some new parts. In India we had real good speed, but some mistakes in qualifying had put us in a bad position in the race, so I would say that Abu Dhabi was just a logical step when you manage to make no mistakes. We knew there that if things go smoothly that we would give ourselves a chance - and there you have it, we did it! (laughs)

Q: When looking at your qualifying stats, it’s hard to believe that you are third in the driver standing. What happens with you between Saturday afternoon and the chequered flag? Is there a switch that you flip that gives you that extra pace?
KR: No. It is more simple than that: our car is much more competitive in the race compared to others - and compared to qualifying with its one lap necessities. You have the same phenomenon with Ferrari: they are also lacking qualifying pace, but are right there in the race. We simply don’t have that one-lap speed that some others have, but for some reason our car is pretty good in the race.

Q: So you have got used to the situation that qualifying is a bit of a pain - and then you can squeeze everything out of the car in the race?
KR: That sounds like I am always doing terribly poor in qualifying, but that’s not the whole truth. I did a really good qualifying in Abu Dhabi that took me to P5 on the grid. I knew that I had to make a good start and, okay, it helped a bit that Sebastian [Vettel] was starting from the pit lane for whatever reasons. And indeed I made a good start and from there it rolled nicely. (laughs)

Q: What makes for a successful comeback? Why did it work for you and not for another famous name on the grid? Age, car, determination?
KR: I have no idea. Sure, you have to have a good car and a good team, but that is only one side of the coin I would assume. There are many factors involved and to be honest I do not have a clue what they are. There is no right or wrong way to stage a comeback. Sure, Michael Schumacher’s team is much bigger than mine, but we have good people, good people around me - and we can go for things. I was lucky to slip into F1 again as if I hadn’t been away - as if those two years melted down to one day - and the chemistry with the team worked from day one.

Q: Does 2012 satisfy you?
KR: You always want more. It is a bit sad that we couldn’t really fight for the championship, but I think that nobody really expected us to do so. Hopefully we put ourselves in this position next year.

Q: Did you come back believing that you really could go for the title?
KR: Maybe not this year, as I knew that the team had a difficult 2011, but I was sure that we would do well.

Q: What is good about your car?
KR: Overall it is a strong package. There is not one thing or part that is so much better than others. In other words there is not really a weak point in the car - and that is the reason that was making us so strong. Sure we need more straight-line speed, but as I just said, the strongest part of the car is that there is not really one thing bad.

Q: With signing you, the team hit the jackpot. How much influence do you have in the team? Are you one of those drivers who are the secret team principals of their team?
KR: No, not really. (laughs) I do my job in the car and others do it on the pit wall. They have helped me to come back and together we did nicely. There are absolutely no ambitions to be a shadow man. (laughs)

Q: Do the overalls and helmet maketh the man? Your movements are different in race gear than in civvies: here you stride, there you shuffle…
KR: Ha, is that so? (laughs) Well I don’t need to walk much in the race gear, so probably the impression of a sophisticated walker comes from there. I will monitor it.

Q: For so long you were one of the contenders for the title, but since Abu Dhabi that dream is over. That race left just Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. Who is your favourite - and why?
KR: I would say that the Red Bull has been the strongest car this year, but then they have been retiring a few times. On the other hand the Ferrari has been quite reliable, but isn’t the fastest car. Maybe a bit of a similar story to us. So my guess is that Red Bull has the upper hand if the car doesn’t break down. If it is a normal race and no retirements then Red Bull should make it.

Q: Sebastian said that you come closest to being a friend among all the drivers. What is the basis for a driver friendship?
KR: Ha, I met Sebastian a long time a go in a race. He was a young guy then and I started to talk to him. Ever since that time we talk to each other when we meet. He is a straightforward guy and I like that.

Q: But it’s not like you are taking holidays together?
KR: No, but we used to live close to each other before he moved to his new place and he has spent quite a bit of time in Finland with his Finnish friends. And yes, I also would consider him a friend.

Q: Have you ever wondered why you are so popular after your comeback? Has the paddock realized that one rowdy character is worth more than 10 streamlined yes-men?
KR: Ha, isn’t it funny how things can change? I do my thing and some people like that and some don’t. One thing I have never tried is to please. Maybe this is popular these days! (laughs)

Q: Coming to this weekend, this is the first Grand Prix in the United States since 2007 - and the first on a track purpose built for F1 racing. What is your impression so far?
KR: First of all, it looks fantastic and from what I have experienced on the computer it also must feel fantastic to race it. I am very much looking forward to getting into the car tomorrow and getting a taste. Superficially you have to say that with the many colours it looks like a piece of art, so let’s hope that it is also arty to drive.

Q: You look set for third place in the drivers’ championship, so with no big surprises looming you must already be focusing on 2013. What are your ambitions then?
KR: I hope that we will have a good car - and the indications point in that direction. It will be a bit easier to start into the season because now we know what to expect from each other in the team. So we will definitely try to do better than this year, but everything revolves around a good car.

Q: How long are you planning to stay in F1 racing?
KR: I have a contract until the end of 2013 - and then we will see. 2013 might be my last year - and it might be not. You never know. At the moment I like it.

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Raikkonen not ruling out return to Ferrari or McLaren - Although committing to Lotus for another season, Kimi Raikkonen is not ruling out a return to his former Formula One teams McLaren or Ferrari in the future.

The 2007 World Champion has been praised for his highly competitive return to Formula 1 this season, but until now he has failed to add to his career tally of 18 wins.

He won all of those races for McLaren (2002-2006) and Ferrari (2007-2009), until he headed to world rallying in 2010 after being replaced at the Italian team by Fernando Alonso.

"I think the last year has been, overall, good for the team but of course you want to win races and challenge for championships," Raikkonen told the Telegraph, after Lotus announced that the 33 year old has been signed up for 2013.

"I'm not 100 percent happy," he admitted. "If I'm here I want to win and be successful."

Raikkonen does not, therefore, rule out a return at some point to Ferrari or McLaren, insisting that although his relationships with those teams did not end perfectly, the doors could still be open.

"Ferrari could have ended in a slightly nicer way but the people I worked with who are still there, I had a very good relationship with them and go and talk to them still," he explained.

"You never know," he said. "I don't know how long I will be driving for. Maybe I don't drive for many more years."

Michael Schumacher will join a growing list of failed sporting comebacks when he retires at the end of this season, but that’s not a list Finnish former world champion Kimi Raikkonen ever feared to be part of when he returned to F1 with Lotus this season.

The 33-year-old Finn replaced Schumacher at Ferrari after the German’s first retirement in 2006 to pursue a career in Superbikes. Raikkonen went on to win the F1 world title immediately after in 2007.

But he finished third and sixth in the next two seasons and opted for a break from the sport himself in 2010 to focus on rally driving.

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"The influential Italian paper Gazzetta dello Sport has done a mid-season rating of each of the F1 drivers, with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso coming out on top, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen.

And in a stark assessment of Ferrari’s other driver, Felipe Massa is at the bottom of the table."

"Raikkonen, third on 8, is described as 'the most beautiful surprise of the year' for his gutsy comeback, garlanded with podiums and strong points finishes. Interestingly, in 11 races so far these three drivers have yet to appear on the podium together."

Full Article: Jamesallenon

Kimi Raikkonen says it would be wrong for Lotus to believe that it has been unlucky not to win a race so far this year.

The 2007 world champion got his fourth podium finish of the season in Germany following Sebastian Vettel's post-race penalty while team-mate Romain Grosjean has made the top three twice.

Lotus has been close to winning on some of those occasions, but Raikkonen says that the fact that it has missed out so far this season cannot be put down to bad luck.

"Luck is nothing to do with it," said Raikkonen. "It's not unlucky if something goes wrong, it's because we did something wrong ourselves.

"If something breaks, it means somewhere there has been a mistake with a part or whatever it is, so it's not strong enough or has been designed wrong.

"Normally it's human error. It's the same as if I do a mistake in the car; it's not unlucky, it's my mistakes. That's racing."

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Question: Kimi, presumably you feel the same way about the crowd, but what about the car. Is it progressing? People were talking about it as a winner earlier this season. Is it keeping up that reputation? Is it keeping that performance?

Kimi Raikkonen: Well, it hasn’t won any races, so it’s not a winner. I mean, we have a good package but for many races we probably haven’t got the best out of it in all conditions at all races but that’s up to us. We are still pretty happy but of course you want to do better. We wish to win races but it hasn’t happened so far, so hopefully we can win some this year. It’s not easy and we know that. We keep trying to improve things and learn from the things that we do and we’ll see what we can do in the second part [of the season].

Question: Is fourth the best you can do at the moment and is qualifying an emphasis for you?

Kimi Raikkonen: We had a good speed last weekend, apart from the rain. We couldn’t get anything in the rain for some reason. That really put us in a not very good position. If it’s a dry weekend… the car has been good in the wet in Silverstone but for some reason not in qualifying in the last race. I think we’re finding the place where I want to be with the car and the set-up and things like that and hopefully we can be a bit better here than we were last week.

Question: Kimi, we have not really heard anything about the infamous power steering lately. Have you and the team taking a step forward regarding that? And before, did you have any real life situations where you felt you couldn’t achieve a better result because of the power steering?

Kimi Raikkonen: There’s no point to talk about it because I mean, when we say something people try to make a massive story out of it. Like I always said, it’s not perfect - it’s still not - it’s improved a lot since we started. But still a way to go. It’s OK to race, it’s not like it’s somehow going to make me one second faster or half a second faster if we going to get it exactly as we want. And this is… I know that I’ve driven better ones and there’s definitely still things that we can improve. We’re working for it, but it’s not the easiest thing to get right. So we have to work on those and hopefully at some point we will get it exactly as we want.

Question: Kimi, when you look back at the two years that you were out of Formula One, do you think they have had any influence in your performance up to now? And what happened when you were leaving Hockenheim? We saw some pictures (of him tripping over a barrier he was trying to climb over)...

Kimi Raikkonen: I almost fell down. It was close! I was two years out (of Formula One). I was doing different things and I don’t think that if I’d been driving two years in Formula I would be any different really. I maybe took a few practices, a few races to know everything exactly (when I came back). Of course it’s a new team, so it took a bit to get to know everybody there and to get everything exactly as I wanted, but I think we’re getting there now and it hasn’t been too bad really. It’s been OK.

Question: Kimi, what is the maximum to be achieved with Lotus in the Constructors’ and Drivers’ championships and which one is more important for you?

Kimi Raikkonen: I will tell you at the end of the year. We will try to do the maximum all the time. I don’t know where we’re going to end up. We’re doing pretty OK now. I think they didn’t probably expect us to do so well as a team at the beginning of the year, and we try to improve and hopefully we will manage to do that. We’re in the fight for the top three. We’re now fourth in the team championship and I’m fourth in the drivers. We go race-by-race and on my side try to score as many points as I can, and try to help the team… I guess they want to be as high as they can in the team championship. For me I want to be as high as I can from my side. Both things really influence each other so we will just try to do better and hopefully manage to do that.


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Kimi Raikkonen is looking forward towards the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix scheduled at Budapest. He is positive that he will leave the circuit as victorious.

The Finnish driver is hoping that he will leave the circuit as victorious because it is expected that the coming weekend at Hungaroring will be hot and E20 is known to give impressive performance in high temperatures. The weather forecast adds to the confidence of the Finnish driver.

Raikkonen says that their team has been working on the upgradation of their car and they are confident that they would be competitive in Budapest.

He said, “The team has been working hard in developing our car and we are confident we should be competitive in Hungary. Usually we have a hot weekend at the Hungaroring, and that's what we have been looking forward to during the whole summer.”

He further added that he does not like going to media without a win. Moreover, he does not like explaining to media why he could not win the race.

Considering his struggling past performances in the qualifying rounds, Raikkonen is of the view that good grid position will play an important role in the race but if they are not able to perform convincingly in the qualifiers, even then they will have an opportunity in the race.


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Lotus' search for their first win of 2012 continues, but Kimi Raikkonen insists the team are determined to end the drought.

The Finn finished second behind Lewis Hamilton at the Hungarian GP on Sunday while his team-mate Romain Grosjean claimed the final podium place.

It is the fifth time that the Finn has finished on the podium this season but the race victory still eludes him. In fact, Lotus are the only team of the front-runners to yet win a race this season.

The 32-year-old Raikkonen says the Enstone squad won't rest until they get that elusive victory.

"We came second, it's not enough but we had some problems with the Kers," he said.

"We had some speed and we'll try to win the next race. At least we are up there all the time and we put ourselves in a good position but we are not happy until we win."

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As he pushed for Formula One race victory on Sunday, rumours Kimi Raikkonen is back on Ferrari's radar continued to swirl and flourish in the Hungaroring paddock.

The rumour was given life by team boss Stefano Domenicali, when to Finnish broadcaster MTV3 he said Ferrari's number one Fernando Alonso and the team's departed 2007 World Champion share "a lot of similarities".

"The talk in the paddock this weekend is that Felipe (Massa) has already lost his drive for next season," Sky television commentator Brundle said on Sunday.

A team 'insider' had earlier been quoted by the Sunday Times newspaper as saying Ferrari sees Finn, 32, as a better alternative than some of the others on the list to replace Massa.

The source said many of the names, reportedly including Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg, Paul di Resta, Heikki Kovalainen and even Kamui Kobayashi and Pastor Maldonado, would not necessarily be better than Massa.

"Kimi would be a very good solution," he said.

"Fast, experienced, apolitical and out of contract at the end of the year. Fernando would have no problem having Kimi as his team-mate."

The BBC's chief Formula 1 writer Andrew Benson, however, quoted what he described as an 'unimpeachable source' who said the rumour is simply "rubbish".

And even the Times' 'insider' admitted there is a major stumbling block.

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Former F1 driver Karl Wendlinger has admitted he has been impressed with Kimi Raikkonen in 2012.

After sitting out two full Grand Prix seasons while he forayed in world rallying and NASCAR, F1's 2007 title winner returned with Lotus this year and after the first half of the calendar is within reach of the top of the standings.

"He is at a very high level," Austrian Karl Wendlinger, who raced with Sauber in the mid-90s, said on Red Bull-owned Servus TV.

"After a two-year break, to have a lot of podiums already is sensational. He is very fast in the races and again and again is going for the wins.

"I think everyone up to and including Raikkonen in fifth place can still fight for this championship," Wendlinger, also referring to Lewis Hamilton, the Red Bull drivers and title leader Fernando Alonso, added.

Wendlinger, now 41, admits Raikkonen is "quiet" and has not always had the best reputation in terms of how dedicated he is to his chosen sport.

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McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh is refusing to write any of the leading contenders out of F1 title fight with nine races still to go, and includes the returningKimi Raikkonen among those who should be watched.

The Finn, a former McLaren driver who went on to clinch the world championship with Ferrari ahead of the Woking team's Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton in 2007, has returned to the top flight this season after a two-year sabbatical in the WRC. Initially linked to Williams, Raikkonen eventually ended up signing with the rebranded Lotus (formerly Renault) team, where he partners GP2 champion Romain Grosjean.

The pair have proved to be a potent, if slightly unfortunate, combination, racking up podium finishes without yet making it on to the top step. Raikkonen has finished each of the eleven rounds to date, with just one non-scoring result when he came home a tyre-afflicted 14th in China. Among them, five podium finishes - from Spain, Monaco,, Valencia, Germany and Hungary - have had the consequence of putting the Finn fifth overall in the individual standings, one point behind Hamilton and 48 off leader Alonso, and former team boss Whitmarsh insists that the Raikkonen-Lotus combination should not be written off.

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Former Managing Director of Minardi F1 team, Giancarlo Minardi considers Kimi Raikkonen of Lotus biggest threat for Fernando Alonso of Ferrari in the remaining nine races of the current season.

Alonso is presently leading the drivers’ championship with 164 points ahead of Red Bull Racing pair of drivers, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.

On the other hand, Raikkonen has also performed tremendously well in the season so far and is standing at fifth place in the drivers’ standings with 116 points. Although, he is 48 points behind the Spaniard in the rankings, however, Minardi insisted that the competition is on and he believes the Finn is still in the championship fight.

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With nine races remaining in what has been a sensational season, Alonso is leading the Drivers' Championship on 164 points having already claimed three race victories.

However, the Spaniard is by no means in the clear.

Four drivers have a realistic chance of winning the title with Mark Webber 40 points off the pace and two ahead of Sebastian Vettel. Lewis Hamilton and Raikkonen also have a shot.

However, it's Raikkonen, who despite being 48 points off the pace, that Minardi believes could be Alonso's biggest threat.

"Spa will be the real turning point to one of the most beautiful Championships in recent years," said Minardi.

"To date we have not a real leader in terms of driver and car - and despite the fact Alonso is 40 points ahead, I think, it is premature to say the title is his.

"There are five drivers' who could win the title still and the greatest danger could come from Raikkonen.

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Former Formula 1 driver, Rubens Barrichello has supported Michael Schumacher over his return in the sport after three years with Mercedes and has admired the performance of Kimi Raikkonen who has made a terrific comeback with Lotus this year.

Schumacher took retirement in 2006 and came back in F1 couple of years ago with the Brackley based team. He was completely outclassed by his teammate, Nico Rosberg during the preceding two seasons. Nevertheless, he has performed comparatively well in the current season so far.

Even though, he could not covert his higher grid positions into competitive results in many races, however, he has secured an impressive third podium finish in the European GP which he secured after setting off from 12th grid position.

Moreover, Barrichello who had been the teammate of the seven-time world champion has said that it is very hard to get back on track after such a long time.

“I like the way he has decided to approach the matter and I knew that it would be difficult after a three year break to immediately regain a foothold,” said the Brazilian.

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Kimi Räikkönen gets as the second Finnish driver his own badge of honor on the Champions' alley on Spain's GP-track. Räikkönen has won Spain's GP twice in years 2005 and 2008.

The badge of honor with Finnish aphorisms will be revealed on Saturday.

Like Räikkönen, Mika Häkkinen has already earlier redeemed his own place of honor from the Champions' alley after winning Spain's GP three times in a row in 1998-2000 and even led the fourth GP to the last lap.

Räikkönen followed the WC icehockey-game Finland-Switzerland on Tuesday in Helsinki.

On Wednesday he flew to his own F1-busies and will be one of the strongest winner candidates when Lotus oozes competitiveness on a track like Barcelona, which is aerodynamically demanding.

Turun Sanomat, Barcelona

HEIKKI KULTA

http://www.ts.fi/moottoriurheilu/f1/344 ... en+kujalle

The Iceman, back in the Formula One paddock, hasn’t exactly melted – he’s way too cool for that – but he’s got a smile on his face a bit more often than we saw during his final year of rallying in particular.

In fact, fresh off the back of a podium at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Kimi is already talking about adding to his total of 18 grand prix wins. Reigning champion Sebastian Vettel, for one, is convinced that Kimi will soon be a winner again. He should know, because he came very close to being passed by a black and gold missile that came from out of nowhere in the closing stages of Bahrain. Kimi had one chance, took it, but backed off when it was all getting a bit too hairy. As always, fast but fair.

Having previously been linked with Williams at the end of last year, Kimi’s management team knew exactly what they were doing when they plumped for the re-born Lotus team instead. Lotus isn’t quite in the big three yet – but it’s definitely best of the rest. And the only missing link was an established world champion, which they now have.

After Bahrain lots of people were saying that they saw the ‘old’ Kimi again, but that’s not quite true. What we were actually seeing was more like the very young Kimi, who burst into Formula One on the back of just 23 car races, mostly in Formula Renault. The same one who was found fast asleep half an hour before his first race, and who Sir Stirling Moss called: “the fastest driver in the world.”

But Kimi’s performance in Formula One now is no less impressive than his first year in rallying, even though it didn’t net any podiums. It’s just that Formula One is where he inevitably has the most experience, which is why he’s not too surprised by his front-running pace again. With PR sensitivities in Formula One as they are, Kimi would never be allowed to admit this, but he almost certainly believes that he’s been driving better over the last couple of years in a rally car than he has for the last couple of months in a Formula One car.

In the Formula One car, what Kimi does is just “normal driving” as he puts it. What he does in a rally car is far from normal. Which is why when you ask him which is more difficult, he replies “rally, of course” – in a slightly surprised way, as if you’ve just asked him whether it’s true or not that night normally follows day…

Currently Kimi is seventh in the Formula One standings, just one point behind Chinese Grand Prix winner Nico Rosberg and 19 points – less than a win, remember – behind championship leader Vettel.

Lotus has some upgrades planned for the next race in Barcelona: a track where Kimi still holds the lap record from 2008. With four winners from the first four races, the beginning of the Formula One season has never been closer – but it’s already clear who one of the biggest stars is going to be this year…

http://www.maxrally.com/features/entry/ ... meth_back/

World Champions Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen are friends who are known to enjoy each others' company.

On Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur the F1 stars had their first badminton game in two years and Raikkonen once again kept his clean streak of wins over Vettel unbroken.

Vettel's new personal trainer though managed to beat Kimi 3-2 but the ex-hockey player apparently has a real badminton background as well.

On Saturday Vettel suffered an even more bitter defeat in qualifying when Raikkonen with his Lotus managed to beat his Red Bull by 0,173 seconds.

http://www.ts.fi/moottoriurheilu/kolumn ... ria+pataan

Q: Kimi, is racing again in Formula One as much fun as you had hoped?
Kimi Raikkonen: It is all the same as before. It hasn’t changed. But the car is good and that always makes it a bit nicer. If you are in 15th place, then that of course is never nice. Okay, in terms of the paddock, I really didn’t expect it to be any different from when I left, but the team is nice so I feel very comfortable.

Q: So things haven’t really changed. You initially left for a reason so can you stomach those reasons now?
KR: I like the racing. And if you do so then it is inevitable you must accept the rest. Sometimes you discover that on your second try.

- "It was a fantastic race performance from Kimi. You could see that he still lacked some routine in qualifying but that is normal since it has changed so much in during the last two years."

- "Kimi is a phenomenal talent and without a doubt one the greatest drivers I have ever seen. Kimi and his team looked very competitive this weekend. My uncomplimentary prediction is that Kimi with his team is going to be the biggest surprise of the season."

http://www.ts.fi/moottoriurheilu/f1/324 ... yllattajaa

There are, it turns out, two Kimi Raikkonens. The public face of the 2007 world champion, who has returned to Formula 1 this season after two years in rallying, is of a monosyllabic, monotone, unsmiling figure, energised only the moment he steps into a racing car. The one who emerges in private is very different - a talkative, jocular man, who can happily sit and shoot the breeze like anyone else.

There is a widespread belief that Raikkonen is as unforthcoming in his technical debriefs as he is in public, but that, too, appears to be a fallacy. Lotus have found his comments in debriefs to be not only lengthy but very perceptive, too.

He was slightly quicker than new team-mate Romain Grosjean throughout pre-season testing, so it was a surprise that he was about 0.2secs slower than the Franco-Swiss semi-novice in the practice sessions in Melbourne. Equally, the errors Raikkonen made on his qualifying laps that left him down in 18th on the grid betrayed a certain ring-rustiness, as well as perhaps the pressure he was feeling from Grosjean's pace. In the race, though, something of the old Raikkonen returned as he fought back up from his low starting position to take seventh place by the end. Clearly, though, there is more to come.

Raikkonen is not entirely happy with the feel he is getting from the Lotus's steering, but Permane plays down the significance of the problem. "He's very particular," Permane says. "He knows what he wants and it's not quite to his liking. It's not a million miles away, but we'll get it there."

Raikkonen can drive perfectly well with the steering as it is, but the problem probably does mean that he is driving a little below his maximum.

Full Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson ... onens.html