أرشيف وسم ‘ E20 ’

Posted on Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Raikkonen used to really good steering in F1

Kimi Raikkonen has played down a reported spat with Lotus, insisting he is only pushing the team to improve its steering system. It has been claimed the former McLaren and Ferrari driver has repeatedly rejected Enstone based Lotus' efforts to tailor the E20 car to Raikkonen's precise needs. "It's just because in other years I drove cars with really good steering," German reports quoted the 32-year-old as telling the Italian magazine Autosprint. "There are a few things on which we can continue to work and […]

Posted on Friday, June 22, 2012

Raikkonen denies Lotus rift

Kimi Raikkonen has hit back at reports he is out of favour at Lotus. The 2007 world champion's return to Formula 1 this year initially went smoothly, but he has struggled more recently while newcomer teammate Romain Grosjean almost won the recent Canadian grand prix. Not only that, there are reports his Enstone based employer is losing patience with the 32-year-old Finn's attitude, especially regarding his demands for a better steering system and a rumoured rift over a rallying ban. "I don't know where you […]

Posted on Monday, June 18, 2012

Qualifying key to victory for Lotus says Grosjean

Victory will be within Lotus' grasp if the Enstone based team can improve its qualifying pace. Romain Grosjean finished within sight of Lewis Hamilton in Canada earlier this month, having qualified only seventh. Also driven this year by 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, a black and gold E20 has not started a single grand prix from the front row of the grid in 2012. But reigning GP2 champion Grosjean insists that the difference between the performance of the Lotus and the very best cars in […]

Posted on Friday, June 15, 2012

Raikkonen: I’ve never won in Valencia, so it’s a good target

After a frustrating Canadian Grand Prix where grid position and traffic hampered what could have been a good result for the Finn, Kimi Räikkonen is focused on getting a strong result on the streets of Valencia. What’s your view of the Canadian Grand Prix? It wasn’t a straightforward weekend for us, even though the result was not too bad in the end. It was cold on Friday for practice and we expected rain in the afternoon, so we ran a different programme. Then in qualifying […]

Posted on Thursday, June 14, 2012

Villeneuve thinks Lotus might 'drop' Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen's seat at Lotus might not be secure, according to 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve. Villeneuve, whilst attending last weekend's Canadian grand prix at the Montreal circuit named after his legendary father, described Lotus' black and gold E20 car as "amazing". The French Canadian suggested that with a top driver at the wheel, the Enstone based team might even be leading the world championship. But what about Raikkonen? As the 2007 world champion who this season has made a widely-hailed F1 comeback, isn't the […]

Posted on Sunday, June 10, 2012

Bad news chasing Lotus team at present

There is little good news to report about the Lotus F1 team at present. The UK financial website thisismoney.co.uk reports that the Enstone based team has recorded a $32 million pre-tax loss for last year. It is however an improvement on the $63 million loss of 2010. But the news of the latest loss followed the dismissal by the team's former sponsor Group Lotus of its controversial chief executive Dany Bahar. Business journalist Christian Sylt said Group Lotus' Malaysian owner DRB-Hicom is contemplating "whether to […]

Posted on Friday, June 1, 2012

Steering issue creating Lotus-Raikkonen rift

The mere issue of 'steering' risks creating a rift between Lotus and its star driver Kimi Raikkonen. The 2007 world champion has complained about the steering system aboard the black and gold E20 from his very first lap this season. For Monaco, the team debuted a special system tailored to the Finn's needs, but it lasted just a single out-lap on Thursday morning. "He was asked to consider running the session with it as it was (but) he refused and took no further part", Sky […]

Posted on Sunday, May 27, 2012

Raikkonen: It wasn’t our best weekend

Lotus F1 Team endured a difficult Monaco Grand Prix, with Kimi Räikkönen finishing in ninth position and Romain Grosjean crashing out of the race before the first corner. It was also a difficult race for the strategists with rain looming but never arriving to any significant extent until immediately after the chequered flag fell. Lotus F1 Team are now tied in third position in the Constructors’ Championship with Ferrari. Both cars started on used sets of red-marked super soft Pirelli P-Zero tyres. Kimi changed to […]

Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2012

FP1 ends early after Kovalainen smokes up Monaco

Free Practice One for the Monaco Grand Prix was brought to a premature end following a spectacular engine failure for Heikki Kovalainen. With seven minutes remaining, the Caterham driver entered the tunnel as his Renault engine failed, filling the tunnel with smoke before coming to a halt on the racing line exiting Monaco's famous landmark. Due to the extent of the smoke and the possibility of oil laid down, the decision was taken not to restart the session. Before the stoppage, Fernando Alonso had set […]

Posted on Friday, May 18, 2012

Raikkonen: There is nothing like Monaco

Two podiums from the last two races for Formula 1’s most popular returnee in 2012. Here, Kimi looks ahead to Monaco. Barcelona was your second podium in a row for the team; how was it from your perspective? To be honest, I was a little disappointed. I expected us to be a bit stronger in the race, especially at the beginning. In the last stint we were very good, but it was too late. We were not fast enough to race and that’s why we […]

Posted on Thursday, May 17, 2012

F1's sixth winner shapes up for Monaco

F1's next winner could be at the wheel of a black and gold car. "I think Kimi (Raikkonen) will be the sixth different winner in the sixth race," said Finnish commentator and former driver Mika Salo, to the MTV3 broadcaster. Although the results in 2012 have proved impossible to predict so far, many paddock pundits expected Lotus' E20 to be the car to beat last weekend in Barcelona. "The big surprise was when Kimi didn't win," admitted former Ferrari driver Salo, referring to Pastor Maldonado's […]

Posted on Saturday, May 12, 2012

Lotus and Sauber set for Barcelona shock

Despite not topping a Friday timesheet in Barcelona, one specialist publication sees Lotus as the favourite for Spanish grand prix victory. Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said the 'long run' pace of the black and gold E20 was studied carefully after Barcelona practice. "Kimi Raikkonen made a great impression on the critical soft tyres," the report read. "First, it (the field) is incredibly close. Second, Lotus could win its first grand prix here." If true, the former Renault team would become the fifth different winning […]