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Gerard Lopez is very calm about the rumors which are taking Kimi back to Ferrari or McLaren.
What is Räikkönen's future in Lotus like?
- Kimi is with us at least on a short-term range. We have a contract which is based upon performance level and we have exceeded it, Lopez tells Turun Sanomat.
– And we never keep anyone by force if they don't want to be with us. Kimi wants to be with us and so does Romain Grosjean – and we are satisfied with them.
Did the rumors about other teams' interest in Räikkönen come as a surprise?
- No. This is F1. Sometimes rumors are true, sometimes they are just made up although they aren't based on anything.
Do Räikkönen's and Grosjean's contracts need to be confirmed officially?
– It is official when it is announced. We think that they are already official and when we present the car, we also present the drivers.
The new E21 -car is presented when winter tests begin. Räikkönen hasn't yet signed the contract, because the option closes at the end of September. Hence there is more than enough to be polished in it. In F1 even the concept of 'certain' is a variable concept.
Car 2013 is also strong
The most important thing for the drivers is that next year's Lotus is also competitive. Does the long WC-battle affect the striking ability of next year's car?
– We have a good understanding of our car. When you look at the most successful team in the past years, Red Bull, you can see that they don't either make any big changes into their car. They have a good basis and they develop it with patience.
– Now we also have a good basis. We aren't going to make any revolutionary car for next year. We make it a car that works a little bit better than this current one does.
– There aren't any big changes in regulations for season 2013 when we continue with the same engine for example etc., Lopez reminds.
Turun Sanomat, Monza
Courtesy: Nicole
Lotus F1 owner Gerard Lopez says the squad have been delighted with star signing Kimi Räikkönen's attitude and work ethic since the Finn joined the team, and reckons he is already feeling at home
Räikkönen, who drove for both McLaren and Ferrari during his first spell in the sport, was renowned for his natural speed behind the wheel of Formula 1 car but picked up a less than flattering reputation for his perceived commitment outside of the cockpit compared to other front-running rivals.
Lopez, however, says he has seen no evidence of anything but complete commitment from the 2007 World Champion since the Finn arrived at the team late last year, reckoning that Räikkönen's positive attutude shows he is enjoying his new environment.
"For most people it's probably one of the big mysteries, because you hear the hearsay and so forth, but we feel very good with him and he clearly feels at home," Lopez told Autosport.
"He smiles a lot when he's with us! But most importantly that says he feels more like part of the family.
"I think Kimi has a public image that honestly from what we've seen does not translate into how he really is. He's a very hard worker, very good at providing feedback, and has a good team spirit."
After two seasons spent in the World Rally Championship, Räikkönen's motivation levels for a return to F1 were called into question when Lotus announced they had signed him to a two-year contract from 2012 - suggestions that the driver himself quickly moved to quash.
Lopez says the team's management were quickly reassured over the Finn's desire to return to F1 when they spoke to him for the first time and that Räikkönen's performance at last week's Jerez test - when he set the overall pace on his first full day in new Lotus E20 - proved he has lost none of his prodigious speed.
"Once we talked to him, once we understood why he was coming back, we really felt comfortable," Lopez added.
"If you look at what happened [at the test], nobody can say that he's not on the pace."
Source: SkySports
Renault team owner Gerard Lopez insists the Enstone based outfit is in no rush to confirm the identity of Robert Kubica's teammate for 2011.
The big news in F1 this week was team boss Eric Boullier's claim that 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, who moved from Ferrari to rallying this year, has enquired about driving for Renault next season.
Renault was already looking at its options for 2011, given that Vitaly Lopez's presence has not resulted in an influx of Russian sponsors.
Also questionable has been the rookie's performances, where despite a run of better results at recent events, Petrov notably struggled at Monza last weekend.
"I doubt Monza is the place where he has done enough to justify his seat next year," Lopez, boss of Renault's Luxembourg based majority owners Genii Capital, is quoted by Press Association.
At the same time, he admits there are "a lot of drivers" knocking on the door for 2011, Lopez said.
"If we weren't to keep Vitaly, we've options, both people who are in Formula One and people who left and would be happy to come back.
"When you are lucky enough to have a seat nobody wanted last year and everybody wants this year, you take your time," he added.
"But for now Vitaly is our second driver and we are trying to do everything we can to make sure he stays our second driver."
Source: Motorsport
The financier Gerard Lopez wants the Finnish former world champion and Citroen driver today in the world rally championship, alongside Kubica 
The owner of Capital Financial Genes that has control of the Renault Formula 1 team, the financier Gerard Lopez, dreams of a park-pilots for next year with Pole Robert Kubica and Finland's Kimi Raikkonen, world champion in 2007 who put behind him Formula 1 for the moment and is working in another specialty, facing the world as an official rally driver for the French Junior Team of Citroen. The chances that the former Ferrari driver acceptance are very scarce. Also because Raikkonen has repeatedly argued that he sees 2010 as a year of apprenticeship in the rallies in preparation for a season in which he will point up. Renault F1 also affects the 27-year old German Adrian Sutil, who after four years the Force India wants to change shirt and sees the Anglo-French team the only alternative to its current roster. Everything - the ambition for Raikkonen, the possibility of Sutil - suggests that Russian Vitaly Petrov will be replaced: it would contribute to the collection of points in the constructors' championship. That for the Renault F1 mean significant economic revenue. About the experience of Raikkonen in the rally, many are considering it bad due to lack of results of some significance. However, the former Ferrari driver Jean Alesi has recently defended the Finn: "I am convinced that what Kimi is doing is really in rallies valuable. Imagine what it means for a pilot to start anew in a specialty that is the exact opposite of what he has always competed. For what he's doing, for the courage to face a challenge so hard to him, I admire him. " Kimi Raikkonen was born in Finland in 1979. He made his debut in Formula 1 Grand Prix of Australia in 2001, with Sauber. He played 157 races, winning 18 and winning in 2007 with Ferrari, the title of world champion. In F1 also has 16 pole positions and 35 fastest laps in the race. Last year he announced his intention to leave F1 for rallies when he was vacated by Ferrari. He was granted with Citroen Sport the chance to contest the championship with a sedan C4 World Rally Car. His best result so far has been to rally of Jordan, where he finished eighth in the overall standings. *
Source: Auto.itCourtesy: stranezze*Note (by Fran): this text was clearly written before the Rally of Turkey, where Kimi finished fifth.*
