Räikkönen will indeed finish the season with the Lotus team
While he had threatened to boycott the last two races on Saturday, Kimi Räikkönen will indeed drive his Lotus E21 in Austin and Interlagos, having reached an agreement with the Lotus F1 team.
After missing Thursday’s session in Abu Dhabi, Kimi Räikkönen was finally present in his Lotus E21 for Friday’s practice but was unhappy about still not receiving a cent of his salary, and he had threatened not to finish the season with Lotus.
The Finn said he was ready not to drive his black and gold single-seater in Austin and Interlagos, but ultimately that won’t happen because his manager, Steve Robertson, managed to reach an agreement with the Lotus team to resolve their dispute for the time being. This was reported by Canal+ and Autosport.
Robertson was present in Abu Dhabi and engaged in lengthy negotiations with Eric Boullier, the director of the Lotus team, but most importantly with Gérard Lopez, the team owner, and the two men reportedly reached a satisfactory agreement for both parties, which should settle the matter for now.
Even though his Abu Dhabi Grand Prix stopped after two corners, Kimi Räikkönen’s presence for the Lotus team is crucial in their battle for the 3rd, or even 2nd, place in the constructors’ championship against Scuderia Ferrari and Mercedes.
