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Lotus hails ‘prodigal son’ Kimi
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Lotus moved to smother speculation about a breakdown in relations with ‘prodigal son’ Kimi Raikkonen yesterday by highlighting how much it will miss him when he moves to Ferrari next season.
Speaking on the day the Finn showed up for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after missing Thursday’s media activities, Lotus Chairman Gerard Lopez took to the Formula One team’s website to calm the situation.
The partnership with Raikkonen, he said, had been a ‘perfect fit’ for Lotus.
Far from being the taciturn ‘Iceman’, thwarting the global media, Lopez presented the Finn as “actually a very friendly guy.
“One of the unfortunate things about being in the limelight is that people are always trying to make it look like there are huge fights going on.
“We discussed the fact that Kimi was signing for Ferrari between the two of us and it was a very frank discussion.
Very cool-headed
“The whole Iceman thing actually prevails on the track from where he is very cool-headed and a very good driver. In reality he’s a kind guy ... and over the two years I’ve gained a friend in Formula One which is a difficult place to do so.”
Last weekend’s Indian Grand Prix triggered fresh speculation that the relationship was on the rocks after track operations manager Alan Permane was heard swearing at the Finn as he told him to get out of teammate Romain Grosjean’s way.
Raikkonen, who won his 2007 world championship with Ferrari, replied with a similar expletive and his manager was quoted as saying he had never heard of a team treating its driver in such a manner.
“A lot was made about the comments ... during the course of a tense moment in a race, but this was just one exchange taking a matter of seconds in the course of a two-year relationship,” said Lopez.
Lotus is 24 points behind Ferrari in the constructors’ championship, and 28 adrift of second-placed Mercedes, with three races to go.
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