It was a chilly day in Jerez today. There was not a single cloud to be seen in the sky, and the strong winds prevented the sun's rays from warming the track. As a matter of fact, the track temperature only peaked at 20 degrees in the afternoon. Of course, the wind did not stop the feverish activity on the Jerez circuit. Today, in addition to the ever-present team personnel and media, a very large number guests flooded the paddock. One of the highlights the […]

If yesterday the sun decided to welcome everybody in Jerez; today, it was a very thick fog that was in charge of the day’s greetings. Luckily, it disappeared as the sun began to rise and the day of testing could take place as planned. However, the fog had some consequences for Red Bull: some parts they were expecting arrived late and they could not start their new season until almost noon. The activity in the circuit started quite early, though. At 8:30 Williams presented their […]

Lotus F1 Team driver Kimi Raikkonen completed the first day of running as part of his private testing session at the Circuito Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. The Finnish driver had a good day’s work as he completed around 300km behind the wheel of the team’s 2010-spec Renault R30 which was fitted with Pirelli demonstration tyres. “It was a good first day! Having not driven a Formula 1 car for two years and obviously with a new team, there is a lot to get used […]

Kimi Raikkonen enjoys driving anything that moves fast. This has been a known fact for some time now. The stories about boat competitions in gorilla suits and snowmobile races under the pseudonym ‘James Hunt’ made big headlines during his first stint in Formula 1. The two-year long sabbatical from the rigid world of F1 allowed him to try out whatever he felt like trying, with the small difference that now, he entered events under his own name. In addition to his participation in the World […]

All throughout 2010 Kimi Raikkonen was a silly season by himself. The rumours about what he would do in 2011 started even before he stepped into his Red Bull-sponsored Citroen C4 for the first time in January 2010. The main question was whether he was going to return to F1 or not, but the Iceman would never give a clear answer. He was linked to the Red Bull F1 team and later on with Renault, yes, the same team he is going to drive for […]

On November 29th, Lotus Renault GP (Lotus F1 Team next season) announced they had signed 2007 Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen as their number one driver for 2012 and 2013. The news means the 'Iceman' is back in Formula 1 after a two year 'sabbatical', as he called it back in 2009. But what has Raikkonen been doing during this time? One thing is clear, he has not been idle: he has been rallying, racing in NASCAR, racing enduro bikes and snowmobiles, testing Le Mans […]

Kimi came to Enstone today – how was his visit? It was good. It felt like the right thing to do to bring him here today. We decided that bringing Kimi into the team was the right decision to make. We had to be forward looking in terms of performance and, regardless of how good any car is, you need a good driver. Kimi has proven himself as one of the fastest drivers around and he’s still in his prime. In terms of motivation, I […]

(Lotus Renault) Lotus Renault GP’s new Finnish star driver Kimi Räikkönen set foot in Enstone for the first time to meet his new team mates. A throng of LRGP-ites made Kimi feel welcome as he arrived at the factory ahead of the team’s Christmas party tonight. After being welcomed by Eric Boullier, Kimi was given a factory tour and met with Chairman Gérard Lopez. “It is my first time in Enstone,” Kimi said, “so it is very nice to see the factory - it feels […]

Twenty-four hours ago, Lotus Renault GP announced the signing of 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen for the next two years. One of the latest prominent figures to comment on the matter is German ex-Formula 1 driver and two times 24 hours of Le Mans winner Hans-Joachim Stuck, who could not hide his joy, in a long interview with the German website Motorsport-Total.com. “I already said a long time ago that he would come back anyway. He is not done yet, he still is a young […]

With Kimi Raikkonen back in F1, here's a look back at his best races

The 2011 WRC season begins this weekend in Sweden, and here is a handy guide for all spectators

He hasn't driven an F1 car since finishing 12th in the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Kimi Raikkonen still remains relatively prominent in Formula One. He may now be a rally driver, but does he still harbour F1 ambitions and what exactly went wrong to the extent where he went from F1 champ to chump in 2 years?