Lotus confident Raikkonen to stay with the team beyond 2012
23 August, 2012
Aug.22 (GMM) Lotus is confident that Kimi Raikkonen will stay with their Enstone based team in 2013 despite reports that the Finn is being actively courted by other teams.
Before F1 went into its August slumber, 2007 world champion Raikkonen refused to categorically deny rumours that he might return to Ferrari next year to replace Felipe Massa.
When asked about those stories, Lotus technical boss James Allison said: “He doesn’t give us any reason to think that he is going elsewhere.”
“I think he likes it with us, I think we’re giving him competitive equipment and it’s a very straightforward working environment for any driver who comes and works in our team,” he told the team’s website.
Allison also suggested that the F1 returnee and Genii-managed Romain Grosjean, completing a “very strong” lineup for the Enstone based team, is “going nowhere.”
“It’s important for us to carry that strength through to next year as well,” he said. “We won’t have any engineering bedding-in to do that we have when we have a new driver.”
Subbed by AJN.
Related posts:
- No team orders as Lotus allows Raikkonen and Grosjean to duel
- Raikkonen: I’m very confident that we’ll get it right when the time comes
- 2012 F1 Preview: Team-by-team season quick guide
- Lotus set fourth place target for Raikkonen led team
- Raikkonen now part owner of Lotus team?
