Kimi Raikkonen returns to F1 with Lotus F1 Team

[kimiteamlotus]

Thanks mar for your help.
I don't know if i am in the good column but i post these pictures of Kimi at red bull ring last year.

Spoiler:

[Suomileijona]

[quote="kimiteamlotus"]sorry for the last post.

Thank you very much, kimiteamlotus!! Very funny pictures!

[reppo]

Kimi on his site:
http://www.kimiraikkonen.com/story.asp?ArticleID=684

21st March 2012
Kimi Australian review and Malaysian preview
The heat is on! It¹s signed, sealed and delivered with the Australian Grand Prix. Right now I¹m trying to get grips with the next challenge here in the hot and humid equatorial climate of Malaysia. Obviously, it was very nice and rewarding to open the season with some good points. Honestly, I didn¹t know that much what to expect from the first race weekend after two years¹ break. We got a good feeling in the car since the day one in Jerez, but you never know exactly how competitive the new equipment is compared to other new cars. Well, now we know ­ a little bit, at least. I always felt I could make a return to Grand Prix racing, but, I can confess now, I got some good answers to my own minor doubts how quickly you can adapt the racing rhythm after being away for some time. The speed is there. That¹s ok. The car is good. That¹s ok, as well. Some issues were to be improved, especially in the qualifying routine. I knew already before going to Melbourne, that it takes some time to get everything together in the best way with all the new things there are with tactical and mechanical part of the whole qualifying prosedure. On Saturday I wasn¹t happy at all. We had some issues that put as in a very poor situation to start the race. All in all, I¹ve got a perfect start from the line and, obviously, it could have been very good for the race. But the first corner mess-up with some cars took my advantage away, I had to back-off and we had to build up again the race to reach the TOP-10. The first set of tyres didn¹t feel that good, but then I saw the other people having even more problems with them, so I just sat back and went for it. It was quite tricky to get past the cars. The DRS doesn¹t help that much in Albert Park-like circuit and while I was battling against Saubers, they were too strong coming out of the last corner, where the DRS zones started. The safety-car situation didn¹t help, as well. I¹ve got a set of brand new tyres, but after the race re-started, it was very difficult to get them working properly. Finally everything went well. We got some places back in the last lap and I was quite satisfield finishing seventh in that first race. As a team we know, we have a solid and consistent car to work with. It¹s nice to have a race again this week. Sepang is the place with some nice memories for me, while we won a Malaysian Grand Prix both with McLaren and Ferrari. The heat is a little bit too much, but it¹s the same for everybody. I just sit back again, put my head down and try to get the best out of the car and myself, too. The heat is on!

[reppo]

http://www.iltalehti.fi/formulat/201203 ... 6_fo.shtml (in Finnish)

Kimi losing 1-0

Thursday, 03.22.2012 at 13.43

The inner hierarchy in Lotus team is up side down.

In Melbourne Romain Grosjean made a qualification of his life time, driving to P3 on the grid. Kimi Raikkonen blundered himself out in the first qualification section.

The situation is thus 1-0 to Swiss-French driver.

- I knew that he is a fast guy. If he is here faster than I am, then he'll be. Of course, I'm trying to win. In the last race we didn't even give ourselves the opportunity to win him, Raikkonen said in the paddock.

- Of course in qualification I will try to win all, but it does not mean as much as the race. Only that matters.

In championship points Raikkonen leads Grosjean 6-0.

- The feeling of driving is very much the same as last time when I drove F1. Downforce is the same, or perhaps it is a bit more now. Car handling is the same, the Finn granted to compare.

Janne Palomäki
Sepang

[reppo]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/98240

Kimi Raikkonen still seeking power steering improvements for Malaysia

By Jonathan Noble and Glenn Freeman Thursday, March 22nd 2012, 07:28 GMT

Kimi Raikkonen will continue to work on improving his Lotus E20's power steering in Malaysia, as he is still not happy with the feedback he is getting in the cockpit on his Formula 1 return.

The Finn missed out on track time in free practice in Australia last weekend as his team worked to give him a steering system that suited him.

In the end it could not find a solution better than the original set-up on the car, so the 2007 world champion had to get through his first weekend back without being totally comfortable.

"We have some things [to try]," Raikkonen told reporters in the Sepang paddock. "It is just a matter of getting it right.

"It is many things. It is not as I have been used to in the past, and it is not as perfect as it should be.

"The team is working hard since we knew about the issue, but it is not the easiest thing to fix. But we have a new one to try and hopefully it will be OK."

The Finn added that overall he was happy with his Lotus, and now he has a race under his belt he doesn't feel much has changed with the performance of Formula 1 cars since he left the sport at the end of 2009.

"The feeling is the same," he said. "The downforce is more or less the same as it was at that time. Maybe we have more now, but handling wise it is very similar.

"In the race it was good. There are areas you want to improve, but it is never going to be perfect. You always want something better."

Raikkonen also said he was surprised at how comfortable he felt with Pirelli's tyres during his first race with the Italian firm's rubber.

"The tyres were really good," he said. "I took it easy, and probably I expected to have more problems with them.

"I didn't have any knowledge, so I was surprised how well it went. The second set [in the race], I think we could have run the whole race with them."

I hope they aren't fixing the steering still at last race of the season

[reppo]

http://www.ts.fi/moottoriurheilu/f1/325 ... en+Renault (in Finnish)

New Lotus almost as good as Alonso's Renault at his best days

F1 | Turun Sanomat 3:45

The new Lotus car, E20 built for Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean, is so good that it is even dared to compare to Renault R25 car in which Fernando Alonso got his first world championship in 2005 - against Räikkönen in McLaren.

Technical Director James Allison and track operations manager Alan Permane were Alonso's trusted men in Renault at the time.

Prior to testing the new car both of them named R25 the best car which they have worked with.

- It looked cool and aggressive from all point of view. I really liked the color, all the appendages, additional wings, exhaust pipes in the chassis, and about all that current rules, unfortunately, no longer permits, Allison praised.

- R25 was a fantastic car. Very easy to setup, predictable and fast. Drivers loved it, Permane pointed out.

- While last year we went wrong, we now know we have done a good car for this season. Not only aerodynamically, but also mechanically E20 is highly functional package.

Räikkönen and Grosjean have one after each other praised the good feeling the car has given from the beginning.

Grosjean took the new car immediately to third position on the grid, and Räikkönen proved it's competitive strength by raising from 17th in the grid to 7th at the finish.

- When tyres of other cars started to slip at the end, our just improved all the time. If there had been more laps, I would have been able to improve the place even more than I had time to do at the final lap, Räikkönen calculates.

Lotus ready to prize fight

Perman assured the team have enjoyed co-operation with Räikkönen when the Finn immediately took over the situation in his first visit to the factory at the end of November.

- I don't see that Kimi was anyway rusty after his break from F1, but if so, the last of it was shaken off in Australia. After the break, it's always good to get one race done. Kimi can continue to be better prepared for Malaysia, Permane said.

What can we wait from Lotus at the weekend then?

- That we get both of our drivers clearly to top ten in qualifying and then to fight for podium finishes. Our cars will certainly work very well in Sepang. Both of drivers are similarly fast and belongs to the top, Permane acknowledged.

Räikkönen was annoyed when changing the helmet together with driving little wide caused the setback of losing the possibility for pursuing the podium finish in the opening race.

- The result would certainly have been better than seventh place, if the qualification had been normal. We had no problems with speed, and it should have been easy to go up to Q3.

Räikkönen has won in Malaysia in McLaren (2003) and in Ferrari (2008). In addition, during his 2007 championship season, he became third.

- Australia is not among the best from the point of view of racing. I hope the car works just as well as in Malaysia, because there we can drive more real track race. At least so far, it seems to be going well in every way, Räikkönen considered.

Turun Sanomat, Kuala Lumpur

HEIKKI KULTA

[kimiteamlotus]

Pictures of Kimi in Malaysia.
http://imgur.com/a/fQHR9/all

[Anelise]

Many thanks reppo!!!!!

[reppo]

http://www.ts.fi/moottoriurheilu/f1/325 ... alanssinsa (in Finnish)

Lotus keeps it's balance even with heavy loads

F1 | Turun Sanomat 3:37

Kimi Räikkönen has now driven his first race without refueling Formula 1 car. The new experience in Australia did not much amaze Kimi in any way.

- I have driven a race before with more than a hundred kilograms of gasoline load - at least for McLaren in 2005 at Monza. In addition, I had time to experiment with heavy car in tests and practice. It really doesn't change anything, whether there is a hundred or 150 kilograms of fuel in the tank. You don't feel a greater difference until you have ten or a hundred kilos in your car.

- This car works well on heavy load, and does not change much according to the amount of gasoline. Of course, with full tank of fuel, it is slower, and some things go differently, but otherwise the balance will remain the same, compared Räikkönen.

Permane explains that, in Valencia in January familiarization tests Räikkönen started with 30 kilos and went to 160 kilos. The team calculated what kind of times with various weights could driven with the car and Räikkönen reached the expected lap times instantly.

Turun Sanomat, Kuala Lumpur

HEIKKI KULTA

[reppo]

Anelise, you're welcome

[Kriss]

reppo, huge thanks for all the articles and pics

[reppo]

reppo, huge thanks for all the articles and pics

You're welcome but I think it was kimiteamlotus who posted pics. Thanks for pics kimiteamlotus

[kimiteamlotus]

You're welcome reppo.

[Kriss]

reppo, huge thanks for all the articles and pics

You're welcome but I think it was kimiteamlotus who posted pics. Thanks for pics kimiteamlotus

thanks kimiteamlotus

[kimiteamlotus]

You're welcome kriss.