Kimi Raikkonen returns to F1 with Lotus F1 Team

[Kriss]

http://www.planet-f1.com/driver/18227/7 ... India-Merc

Lotus F1:
Kimi Raikkonen: "It was a bit difficult today. It was my first time on the wet weather Pirellis and I didn't know how the intermediate or wet tyres would react - I had only completed one installation lap on them before. I just tried to stay on the road and push as much as I felt comfortable with. When I changed to the dry tyres it took a couple of laps to get heat into them, and my visor was pretty dirty so seeing the dry line was difficult. Once I found my way I could push much harder. It was difficult to have another mixed weather weekend. The conditions changed a lot today so it was always a case of adapting and looking for grip. Overall, we seemed to have a pretty strong package again this weekend, so I'm relatively happy. A fifth today was okay, but we're always looking for better results."

[Kriss]

[sleenster]

Thanks for all the photos Kriss

[iceman1]

Raikkonen's post-race interview "ha..?"

[Mar]

"Kimi, you finished the race where you started..."

"I started 10th"



Thanks, Iceman

[Kriss]

"Kimi, you finished the race where you started..."

"I started 10th"



Thanks, Iceman

that was priceless
thanks

[Kriss]

[kimiteamlotus]

Thanks very very much Kriss for these beautiful pictures of Kimi during interruption of the race and thanks very much for this video iceman1.

[Kriss]

Kimi Räikkönen – “We Just Need the Chance to Really Show What We Can Do”

Kimi runs through his first wet weather experience in the E20, after another resilient race performance saw the Finn climb five places, and take home a useful haul of points for the team

Kimi, it was a pretty eventful race out there today. How was it from where you were sitting?

I was a big handicapped to be honest as I didn’t know what to expect from the tyres. I’d only done one installation lap on the intermediates before today so it was tricky to predict how the car would behave. I spent the first part of the race trying to explore the limits and pushing as far as I felt comfortable without going off the track. My visor got so dirty in the opening laps it was hard to even see anything, especially with the spray. When you look at the whole weekend fifth isn’t a bad result but we’ll be looking for more at the next race.

While you may have been hoping for more, in such an unpredictable race it must be satisfying to bring home some points for the team?

It’s good to get more points on the board and obviously P5 is an improvement on qualifying after the penalty, but I think with more knowledge of the wet tyres we could have been further up. Once we switched to the slicks the pace was very good, so under different conditions today had the potential to be a very strong race for us.

When the race was stopped and you climbed out of the car to shelter from the rain, did it bring back memories from 2009? Were you tempted to grab a Coke and an ice cream?

[Laughs] Not this time; the difference today was that I was still in the race so no need!

Two good race performances under your belt now on different tracks and varying conditions; does this give you confidence going to China?

Hopefully we can have a ‘normal’ race weekend with no penalties, crazy weather or other setbacks! It would be good to have a trouble free weekend so we can see where we really stand, as it’s hard to tell after the first two races with so many factors affecting our results. We seem to have a very strong package, we just need the chance to really show what we can do over a whole weekend.

For a full run down of the Malaysian Grand Prix result, click here.

After a rollersocater start to the season, Lotus F1 Team are packing up and heading home for a two week break before the next race. Stay tuned to our website, Twitter feed, and Facebook page for all the latest news from Enstone as we build up to Round 3 of the World Championship in China.

http://www.lotusf1team.com/Kimi-Raikkon ... ml?lang=en

[iceman1]

Thanks Kriss for the updates

HQ Pictures from the race. I'll upload more photos in the gallery here.

[Kriss]

iceman, thanks a lot

[reppo]

Great idea

I hope Lotus engineers are as innovative as their PR people

[reppo]

Kimi fans

[reppo]

Thanks everyone for photos and everything

[icemaid]

"Kimi, you finished the race where you started..."

"I started 10th"



Thanks, Iceman

that was priceless
thanks

Good one Kimi!

Miss Sky reporter!