Kimi Räikkönen's comeback to the 'real work', F1, has been the biggest news before the season has begun. They have speculated over the backgrounds, weighed the test results, tried to dig inside Räikkönen's head. With no success.
Räikkönen himself tells that he came back to the F1-business because he had missed it. It sounds odd at first, because during his last couple of years in Ferrari the disgust and fatigue with everything the genre offered was shining from his face.
However rallying in a small car with only the clock as the opponent for two years got Räikkönen fed up. He told earlier this spring that he has missed 'real racing', driving on track man to man, and now it's offered to him.
Räikkönen still doesn't care for the PR-things and other cackle that comes with the sport.
'Neither does any other driver either. Everyone of us only wants to race', Räikkönen said in February to reporters.
When the information of Räikkönen's will to come back were confirmed, they were taking him starting from Red Bull to all other top teams. Finally he joined Lotus.
They were astonished over his choice. They didn't think that the French team that had dropped in the midfield would be any dream working place.
Testing in Jerez and Barcelona however changed the tune in the bell. Although the test results aren't comparable the performance ability and reliability of Lotus has surprised. The car has been both reliable and fast.
Australia will be the real thing. If it goes well in Melbourne, then the co-existance of Räikkönen and Lotus will get a lot more easier. If the car is not good for racing, then we can expect some wrinkles in love.
Räikkönen gets visibly nervous when someone says the word 'motivation' around him. Everybody notices how the safety clicks.
Yet the truth is that Räikkönen doesn't get fired up over lower positions. This has been taken in account when making the Lotus-contract.
According to Autosport the contract has a clause which justifies ending the contract if Lotus doesn't get into top 8.
Räikkönen also doesn't have to drive with a community effort. He gets 8-12 million euros per season which will substantially slow down poverty.
Although a driver, who so far has earned about 200 million euros isn't in any need for pocket change, it still is expensive to live like Räikkönen lives. It costs to keep up several luxurious houses, flying with a private jet and keeping the armada of cars swallows money like a F1-car swallows fuel.
By Vesa Kovanen
Courtesy: Nicole
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