Lotus Renault. 2 years.
Sweeeet! Hope they're competitive. Otherwise still at least MS can give him company. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96573
Will it be Grosjean or Bruno, Petrov as the other driver. What happends is if Kimi gets outperformed....again Other question is how much of the team does he now own. He has been trying to buy parts of a team for sometime now. Money is part of why they hired him. I have no doubt that was a big big part of this.
Lol Lotus new Exige S looks pretty awesome...bigger than the old one, 125KG heaver but also as many more horsepowers. Exige being developed with a new V8 too .
Renault Confirms Kimi Raikkonen Will Return to Formula 1 in 2012 By Pablo Elizalde Tuesday, November 29th 2011, 07:13 GMT Renault has announced that Kimi Raikkonen will return to Formula 1 racing next year, after securing a two-year deal to compete with the squad. Raikkonen, who had left Formula 1 at the end of the 2009 season after being dropped by Ferrari, had been in talks with the Williams team about a possible return next year, but the deal fell through. That promted speculation of a Renault tie-up, with team principal Eric Boullier confirming in Brazil last weekend that the Finn was on the shortlist of candidates for 2012 - when his outfit will be renamed Lotus. Speaking about his return, Raikkonen said: "I'm delighted to be coming back to Formula 1 after a two-year break, and I'm grateful to Lotus Renault GP for offering me this opportunity. My time in the World Rally Championship has been a useful stage in my career as a driver, but I can't deny the fact that my hunger for F1 has recently become overwhelming. "It was an easy choice to return with Lotus Renault GP as I have been impressed by the scope of the team's ambition. Now I'm looking forward to playing an important role in pushing the team to the very front of the grid." Team owner Gerard Lopez added: "All year long, we kept saying that our team was at the start of a brand new cycle. Backstage we've been working hard to build the foundations of a successful structure and to ensure that we would soon be able to fight at the highest level. "Kimi's decision to come back to Formula 1 with us is the first step of several announcements which should turn us into an even more serious contender in the future. Of course, we are all looking forward to working with a world champion. On behalf of our staff, I'd like to welcome Kimi to Enstone, a setting that has always been known for its human approach to Formula 1." Raikkonen, 32, moved from Formula 1 to the World Rally Championship in 2010, where he spent the last two seasons while also competing in one race of the NASCAR Truck series and one Nationwide event. The Finn won the Formula 1 world championship in 2007 with Ferrari, having scored a total of 18 wins since he made his grand prix debut in 2001. Renault was forced to search for another driver after Robert Kubica confirmed last week that he would not be ready to start the 2012 season following his dramatic accident in February.
Looks like we need two WDCs - one for the kids, and one for the seniors... Let's hope Renault see a decent return on their investment. Based on past KR performance, I'm not placing any bets.
Guess I was wrong, I never thought he'd actually return. I wish Kimi luck. He wasn't ever one of my favorite drivers, nor did I ever dislike him. I do believe it's good to see him returning for the sake of the sport. I hope he is able to adapt to the new cars quickly and get back up to speed. Mark
Incredible personality still....video interview http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2011/11/video-raikkonen-speaks-about-his-reason-for-coming-back-to-f1/
Jean Alesi (currently a "global ambassador" for Group Lotus) reckons it's a good idea; Cheers, Ian The full story; http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96582
He is the worst interview possible. what is it about Finn's that they are so dead pan. Mika H was ok,but still just was so painful to watch in an interview.
You beat me to it. Kimi is not the problem. ALL Finns talk like that. Watch other Finns (tennis players, etc.) being interviewed.
I hope the car is competitive enough for podiums as I really like to listen to him speaking in the post race Q&A interviews! Kimi is a great driver when motivated. I hope the team can keep him interested during the season with a good car, good engineering, a good pit, and good stratagy. Otherwise, well... we've seen him on his "not so" motivated days. JD
that's precisely what makes him amusing and entertaining! I love the monotone drone. When I imitated it to my wife, it drives her absolutely nuts! That in itself is worth him being in the game. JD
