Lotus hope Kimi Raikkonen to stay after 2012 Formula 1 season – Formula 1 news
Lotus are hoping Kimi Raikkonen to stay at his current team after the 2012 Formula 1 season regardless of the ongoing rumours that he may join Ferrari in the next year.
Raikkonen won the 2007 world championship with the Scarlet team. However, he left the sport after the end of his contract with the Italian team in 2009. Later, he went to take part in the World Rally Championship and made a tremendous comeback with the Enstone
based team in the current season in which he has shown some remarkable performances.
Moreover, he has been linked with his previous team again and it was reported in Sunday Times that Ferrari and the Finnish driver may get together at the end of this season as they both complement each other.
Moreover, it was stated that Raikkonen will be a potential replacement of Felipe Massa who has been struggling with his pace. Additionally and more importantly, Fernando Alonso will have no issues with him and together they can create a great championship
winning pair of drivers.
“Kimi would be a very good solution. Fast, experienced, unpolitical and out of contract at the end of the year,” a 'Ferrari insider' told the newspaper. “Fernando would have no problem having Kimi as his team-mate. In many ways it would be a dream combination
for us, but there is a problem to be overcome.”
Meanwhile, the team principal of Lotus, Eric Boullier said that although he is pleased to see the news regarding Raikkonen and Ferrari, however, he is unaware of the plans of the 2007 world champion.
“It is nice that Ferrari is in the newspapers, but I don't know that Kimi has plans to go back to Ferrari,” Boullier said.
In addition, he said that he is expecting the Finn to stay at Lotus for the next season.
On the other hand, the team boss of Ferrari, Stefano Domenicali said that it is nothing but speculations and they are not paying attention towards this matter.
“Kimi was a World Champion with us and I saw the speculation in the media but nothing more than that,” said the Italian.
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