Räikkönen ready not to race with Lotus in Austin and Interlagos
Kimi Räikkönen revealed that he almost didn't race this weekend in Abu Dhabi due to financial disputes with the Lotus F1 team. He hopes to find a solution, but he has also threatened not to race in the last two events if no agreement is reached.
Kimi Räikkönen was not present in the Abu Dhabi paddock on Thursday for “media day” and even though he was there on Friday for the start of free practice, the Finn almost didn’t race in Abu Dhabi this weekend.
« I came here only because I hope we will find an agreement on certain issues we have. Hopefully it will be resolved and we can finish the season as well as possible, » Räikkönen told journalists in Abu Dhabi.
The problems Räikkönen talks about include the non-payment of his salary; he has repeatedly stated that he has received nothing since the beginning of the year, as he mentioned during the announcement of his move to Ferrari. The Finn loves car racing but has also hinted that he might not race in the last two events of the season if this financial dispute is not resolved.
« Yes, of course [I could choose not to drive]. I love car racing, I love driving, but a big part of it is a business, and sometimes it’s not handled correctly and ends up in an unfortunate situation. But we have to draw the line somewhere, and if things go beyond that, it’s not really my fault anymore. »
The Lotus team should owe about 17 million euros to the Finn, 8 million euros in fixed salary plus approximately 9 million in bonuses, 50,000 euros per point in principle.
Kimi Räikkönen also reflected on the heated radio exchange he had with Alan Permane during the Indian Grand Prix and shared that while it may have influenced his absence on Thursday, it wasn’t the main reason: « It’s a small part of the problem. These things shouldn’t happen but unfortunately, they do and it’s not really the problem. It’s everything else and obviously, it all piles up in the end. It’s easy to say that’s the reason why I almost didn’t come, but it’s not that simple. Sometimes, it’s not very pleasant when you hear that you are not thinking about the team’s interests [first] and then you haven’t been paid a single euro all year. So it doesn’t put you in the best situation, but that’s how it goes and hopefully, we’ll find an agreement on both sides on how to handle this situation properly and resolve our issues to finish as best as possible. »
