Lotus: 'We Know Kimi Likes It Here'

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Lotus F1 Team are determined to keep hold of Kimi Raikkonen and stop him joining Red Bull at the end of the season.

The Hethel-backed outfit had great time of it in Sunday’s German Grand Prix, with Raikkonen second and Romain Grosjean third in the Norfolk marque’s double podium – behind the Red Bull of championship leader Sebastian Vettel.

Raikkonen’s future has become a hot topic of conversation in Formula One, with the Finn seemingly involved in a tug of war between Lotus and Red Bull.

The Milton Keynes-based marque are currently mulling over who should replace Mark Webber when he retires from the sport at the end of the season.

Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz and team principal Christian Horner have both made it clear Raikkonen is on their radar, with Toro Rosso duo Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne also in the running.

The smart money is on Raikkonen, with three-times champion Sebastian Vettel stating after his victory on Sunday he would be excited by the prospect of working with the 33-year-old, who finished just a second adrift at the Nurburgring.

But Raikkonen is happy with his working environment at Enstone, with the team going out of its way to ensure promotional and media activity is kept to a bare minimum given his dislike of that side of F1 – although providing a winning car is another matter.

'He knows he is being treated well here, as well as we would treat any other driver, and that’s a big difference whether it’s here or somewhere else. This team has a culture which is quite human and it works well, it does things right, and it’s a culture Kimi likes. If we imposed huge time constraints on him then he wouldn’t enjoy it, as he hasn’t at other teams before. So it’s the right team for him as a human being. All we have to do is prove it’s the right team for him as a racer. He has to decide, and I think he will stay. We’ve not done all we can yet. We will do more, and let’s see.' Said Lopez to The Sun.

Asked to rate his chances of keeping Raikkonen, Lopez said: 'I would say high because we know him well.'

Horner has previously stated he would like to resolve the matter by the end of F1’s summer break next month.

Lopez, however, knows Raikkonen won’t be pushed: 'If I know Kimi he will want to leave it as long as possible. Right now Kimi hasn’t made a decision yet. He’s waiting to get all the information to make the right decision. You can’t rush Kimi into anything, not if you are us, not anybody.'
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Why would Kimi give up #1 driver seat for a #2 drivers seat, I think he's better of with Lotus and will be surprised if he joins RedBull. But anything is possible in F1.
 
It's very clear that if Kimi hasn't got a chance to fight for WDC, he leaves the sport all together, ie if he doesn't get the right team he'll go back to rally. He said so when he came back that it's one season of getting back in the game and then he looks what's the reality.

Right now he has a car that is good enough to fight for wins and the championship so wouldn't be surprised for another season with Lotus. Nor if he chooses better chance of WDC over personal comfort due to 2014 rules.
 
It's very clear that if Kimi hasn't got a chance to fight for WDC, he leaves the sport all together, ie if he doesn't get the right team he'll go back to rally. He said so when he came back that it's one season of getting back in the game and then he looks what's the reality.

Right now he has a car that is good enough to fight for wins and the championship so wouldn't be surprised for another season with Lotus. Nor if he chooses better chance of WDC over personal comfort due to 2014 rules.
i think you are wrong, i think Kimi clearly said i am not going back in racing rally since there is no true racing, only time attack and battle with the time nothing more. While in F1 you have battle with the time and with other cars during race, which is the ultimate test for any driver.

Thats why, although i would never say he is bad, never Loeb will be better than Schumacher or any champion in F1. But thats other subject and maybe its down to our tastes and opinions, which i respect.

However Kimi going in RB wont make him #2 but i think he might be at some points faster than Vettel but never underestimate Vettel since he is a triple world champion with a car that never made Webber vice-champion ....
 
It's very clear that if Kimi hasn't got a chance to fight for WDC, he leaves the sport all together, ie if he doesn't get the right team he'll go back to rally. He said so when he came back that it's one season of getting back in the game and then he looks what's the reality.

Right now he has a car that is good enough to fight for wins and the championship so wouldn't be surprised for another season with Lotus. Nor if he chooses better chance of WDC over personal comfort due to 2014 rules.
i think you are wrong, i think Kimi clearly said i am not going back in racing rally since there is no true racing, only time attack and battle with the time nothing more. While in F1 you have battle with the time and with other cars during race, which is the ultimate test for any driver.

Thats why, although i would never say he is bad, never Loeb will be better than Schumacher or any champion in F1. But thats other subject and maybe its down to our tastes and opinions, which i respect.

However Kimi going in RB wont make him #2 but i think he might be at some points faster than Vettel but never underestimate Vettel since he is a triple world champion with a car that never made Webber vice-champion ....
 
It's very clear that if Kimi hasn't got a chance to fight for WDC, he leaves the sport all together, ie if he doesn't get the right team he'll go back to rally. He said so when he came back that it's one season of getting back in the game and then he looks what's the reality.

Right now he has a car that is good enough to fight for wins and the championship so wouldn't be surprised for another season with Lotus. Nor if he chooses better chance of WDC over personal comfort due to 2014 rules.
i think you are wrong, i think Kimi clearly said i am not going back in racing rally since there is no true racing, only time attack and battle with the time nothing more. While in F1 you have battle with the time and with other cars during race, which is the ultimate test for any driver.

Thats why, although i would never say he is bad, never Loeb will be better than Schumacher or any champion in F1. But thats other subject and maybe its down to our tastes and opinions, which i respect.

However Kimi going in RB wont make him #2 but i think he might be at some points faster than Vettel but never underestimate Vettel since he is a triple world champion with a car that never made Webber vice-champion ....
Ironically, F1 isn't really 'true' racing anymore. With the new tires, DRS amnd KERS etc. it can be relatively easy sometimes to overtake.
 
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Ironically, F1 isn't really 'true' racing anymore. With the new tires, DRS amnd KERS etc. it can be relatively easy sometimes to overtake.​
I totally agree on that, once again, its same for everyone else, and being all there together one against each other, although the racing is changed, they are racing ...​
 
Alonso also clearly liked it at Renault in 2006, yet he moved to McLaren in 2007.

In F1, nothing's personal, it's just business. Kimi will know what to do if he wants to win more races.
 
Alonso also clearly liked it at Renault in 2006, yet he moved to McLaren in 2007.

In F1, nothing's personal, it's just business. Kimi will know what to do if he wants to win more races.


Alonso moved in Mclaren just because Mclaren said enough, is, Mclaren. Renault after all provided him 2 Titles, with which, he fulfilled his ambitions and had, maybe, no motivation afterwards. So thats why Mclaren was best choice for him at the time.

Present time, with Kimi, its totally different. RBR doesn't have the history of Mclaren and was not a top team before 2010. Also, Kimi yet has unfulfilled mission in Lotus Renault, not that he must fulfill it, but he has enough motivation to keep it going, since, Lotus Renault, are constantly improving, so that might get some results for him, if not serious results this year but for sure next year. With the given time he spent there, there are slight chances of him moving in another team knowing he can have desired car in Lotus. But, time will tell.
 
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If someone ask's me now, i would say, that these two, would suit each other ... i don't see Vettel have some problem with him, Kimi either :)
 
If someone ask's me now, i would say, that these two, would suit each other ... i don't see Vettel have some problem with him, Kimi either :)

When two people become teammates, things can change. If you remember Alonso and Hamilton were friends, but after some races they were big rivals. Not that it is impossible for teammates to be friends ;)
 
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When two people become teammates, things can change. If you remember Alonso and Hamilton were friends, but after some races they were big rivals. Not that it is impossible for teammates to be friends ;)


Indeed! But i think that Hamilton and Alonso were never truly like friends. Yet i think this situation is totally different. And i am not saying that they cannot ruin all of that :) F1 is F1
 
The friendship might be severely tested when Horner issues a critical team order during a race. ;)
Or the first time one of them ignores the team order.

They could easily include a clause in his contract which forbids team orders against him. This practice is not uncommon. I bet he (and probably also Alonso, Hamilton and Button) actually has one right now as well.
 
True, it's possible, but each driver you quoted are the "nominal" No.1 drivers for their teams.
Would Red Bull use such a clause for both Kimi and Seb ?

I'd love to see that, but I think it highly unlikely.
 

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