That Lotus almost went bankrupt is a problem with the guy who wrote the contract, not Kimi. Kimi had an incentive (as they say) and Kimi got it done.
Yes, appears by end of 2014 he was: https://www.auto123.com/en/racing-news/f1-kimi-raikkonen-finally-paid-by-lotus?artid=173749
This is real... https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/hszcuw/i_am_kimi_raikkonen_ama/ His username and page: https://www.reddit.com/user/eeppo10/
Looks like he will answer questions on Sunday before the race. I will definitely toss a few myself if possible.
It may have gone unnoticed, but today was a sad day for Raikkonen who ends up last in qualifs. Both "Alfa Romeos" failed to reach Q2 for some reason. Devastating to see an old world champ finishing his career that way. I hope Kimi retires at the end of this season.
What is this picture of Ferrari? Is that Kimi next to it? Did Ferrari give his old race car as retirement? Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Agreed. It is sad to see Kimi in such a poor car. My guess is he will walk away at season's end. He went to Alfa to race. He'll have to find his fix elsewhere.
The Alpha, along with its general aero issues, is also down on power this year due to Ferrari engines.
This is what he said this morning on Reddit: User question: OMG, this is amazing! Coming back to question, are you planning to continue to be in F1 next year? I was hoping to see you race this year as this might be your last season before you retire but covid had other plans and Malaysian GP in 2017 was kind of a disappointment for me as you had to retire without even starting the race. level 2 F1-Official Verified 675 points·8 hours ago Kimi: I keep saying that I will make a decision before the start of next season… in the end, it depends on whether I am still enjoying racing. If I feel like that, then I continue. If I don’t enjoy it, then why should I keep doing it?
Driving around at the back (not because of his own performance, but the car) is a sad end to his career. I hope he continues racing, hell I'd prefer him to stay in F1 but a competitive drive in LMP1 would be better surely.
Interesting to see. Not sure if he would have the motivation to keep travelling to do some boring endurance races while have two kids at home. I ca see him leaving racing completelly and dedicating most of his time to Robin's racing career, just like Jos Verstappen did.
The latter is a strong possibility also. He let slip a couple of years ago he's interested in LMP1. LMP1 schedule nowhere near as demanding as F1, it's what, 6 races a year?
Early word today is that Kimi will be replaced by Perez next year http://www.gptoday.com/full_story/view/727198/8216Perez_to_Alfa_Vettel_to_Aston_Martin_Kimi_is_out8217/
Leave him alone, he knows what he's doing. My wife and I got to meet him and Vettel at the 2016 Ferrari Finale Mondiali. They immediately set the Daytona lap record on their first pass and then in closing did spectacular burnouts that made the ones at NASCAR races look tame.
It looks like Kimi will stay at Alfa next year...in that pig of a car. https://www.essentiallysports.com/f1-news-russian-grand-prix-kimi-raikkonen-to-stay-in-f1-set-to-continue-with-alfa-romeo-in-2021-reports/
Kimi Raikkonen has rejected rumours that he has already penned a deal to stay with Alfa Romeo next year. Comfortably the oldest driver on the grid, Raikkonen, who will turn 41 next month, had earlier this season been linked with retirement at the end of the campaign. However, more recently, reports have indicated the flying Finn is wanted by Alfa Romeo to stay with the team for 2021 – potentially to provide the experience which complements a young Ferrari Academy driver such as Mick Schumacher. But after qualifying 20th and last for the Russian Grand Prix at Sochi, having spun 360 degrees during his final run in Q1, Raikkonen denied he had formally committed himself to another year in F1. “No, I haven’t signed a single contract,” said the 2007 World Champion, who collected his first points of the season when he finished P9 at the Tuscan Grand Prix last time out, quoted by Motorsport Week.