Comment: Räikkönen made the right choice!

The first week in winter testing has proved that Kimi Räikkönen made the exactly right choice when choosing Lotus-team as his working place

In addition to Lotus taking the top times of the new cars on Tuesday and Thursday tests, the team has presented themself in Jerez like a big team in all ways. Lotus-team's paddock-buildings, trucks and the fantastic black&gold -look is on the same level with other top teams. Actually Lotus has been mostly presented of all teams in Jerez because they have wanted to keep noise over their new name, new sponsors and new drivers.

Räikkönen's second team-option Williams again has stayed under the average level when it comes to laptimes and they have been quite unnoticed all and all. When Lotus took all the attention on Monday by presenting their car in a well organized event, Williams again made their presentation with small gestures early Tuesday morning by opening the doors to their garage and rolling their car to the pitlane.

The spirit coming from Lotus-team tells that the team's crew is standing behind Räikkönen with all they have. Kimi can build the Lotus into his own success story.

Jani Merimaa, Jerez

Source: MTV3
Courtesy: Nicole

Kimi is still Sauber's biggest risky choice

Turun Sanomat 6.10 2010

Peter Sauber praises that Kamui Kobayashi earned his team seat with his own performances.

– Kamui is the first Japanese driver who is in a F1-team without the support of sponsors. He is in F1 because of his talent, Sauber tells.

Sauber still remembers how big the risk he took was when he hired Kimi Räikkönen straight from Formula Renault 2000 -serie to F1-level.

– Kobayashi is the only young driver I wanted to my team without hesitating for a moment, Sauber emphasizes.

Of course Räikkönen was the one who made the biggest impact on Sauber.

– It wasn't just the laptimes that influenced me, it was Kimi's attitude to the team which was something completely special. Kimi doesn't talk unless he has to. All he has is his body language but his attitude speak for itself.

– When the team told him to drive 5 laps in his first test in Mugello he came in after 4 laps and said that he cannot put more strain on his neck. Kimi immediately showed that he is able to lead different operations.

– In the end of the second testing day the engineers sent him out with a small amount of fuel and new tyres without telling him about it. Of course Kimi noticed it and drove exactly the laptimes the engineers had calculated he would be able to drive. Kimi could immediately utilize every possibilities like he would have been a top driver for years.

Sauber reminded that he chose Räikkönen even though Red Bull's Helmut Marko put pressure on him to choose Enrique Bernoldi.

– I didn't change my mind and now very much later I can say that Red Bull seems to have found only one young driver (Sebastian Vettel) who also first drove for us in BMW Sauber.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole