A three week gap between Malaysia and China comes as a welcome break for the drivers. We caught up with Kimi to hear what the 2007 World Champion has been up to, his thoughts on the season so far, and the New Kimi who seems to be the talk of the paddock
Kimi, after a busy start to the year it must be good to have a break before the next race; what have you been up to?
Raikkonen: "I went straight to Beirut from Malaysia for the Lotus Cars Lebanon dealership launch event which was a good evening. I havent had much time back home yet, but Ill be making the most of it to catch up with people and have a bit of fun. We have to keep training hard to maintain good fitness for every race, so theres still that to consider."
Now that youve had time to reflect on the first two races, how has the season been for you so far?
Raikkonen: "I think weve got off to an encouraging start. Its been frustrating sometimes with the chassis issues in testing, the qualifying mix-up in Australia and the gearbox change in Malaysia, but weve shown we can deal with any problems and come back stronger. It feels like Ive never been away; the team has done a good job and Im working well with them which makes things easier. The car feels good and we clearly have the pace to be at the front; we just need some better luck."
Theres been a lot of talk about the New Kimi this season; do you think youve changed since you left the sport?
Raikkonen: "Not really, Im still the same person as I was before. Maybe people see me as more relaxed, which I think is down to the team. Its a different atmosphere to what Ive experienced before; everyone is very open and laid back but at the same time they work extremely hard and pay a lot of attention to detail. I feel comfortable here which helps me to focus on racing; I guess thats why people seem to think Im a different person, but Im just as focused and motivated as before."
Kimi Raikkonen: "It feels like I've never been away"
- Published on 03 Apr 2012 13:55
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- By: Rob Veenstra
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M. Verstappen
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A. Antonelli
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G. Russell
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L. Hamilton
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Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
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Feb 11
L. Norris
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Feb 12
C. Leclerc
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Feb 13
A. Antonelli
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Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
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Feb 18
G. Russell
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Feb 19
A. Antonelli
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C. Leclerc
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Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
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Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
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Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
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Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
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Red Bull Ring
3 - Jul 5
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Silverstone
17 - Jul 19
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
24 - Jul 26
Hungary
Hungaroring
21 - Aug 23
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
Team profile
- Team name Lotus F1
- Base Enstone, United Kingdom
- Daniel Ricciardo 3
- Kimi Räikkönen 7
- Romain Grosjean 8
- Kimi Räikkönen 9
- Romain Grosjean 10
- Pastor Maldonado 13
- Pastor Maldonado 13
- Kevin Magnussen 20
- Nico Hülkenberg 27
- Jolyon Palmer 30
- Esteban Ocon 31
- Carlos Sainz jr 55
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