Eric Boullier would have made his choice to replace Räikkönen
According to Sporting Life, the head of Lotus has made his choice regarding the name of Kimi Räikkönen's replacement. Only one factor could make him change his mind: money.
It is the German Nico Hülkenberg who is the frontrunner to replace Kimi Räikkönen, heading to Ferrari, in Eric Boullier’s opinion. This is what the Team Principal of Lotus F1 Team revealed in the columns of Sporting Life. “He is our choice, I would love to take him,” the Frenchman declared. However, note the use of the conditional for a simple reason. The financial situation surrounding the Lotus team is not yet fully resolved, which could derail the deal if bad news arises.
Boullier reassuring about Lotus’ future
The boss of the Black and Gold, however, was reassuring about the future of his team. The investment fund Infinity Racing, which announced plans to acquire 35% of the Lotus F1 Team earlier in 2013, will be renamed Quantum Motorsports, and a financial agreement for the coming seasons should be announced soon. But as Eric Boullier reminds, “Until nothing is signed and confirmed, we can never be sure of anything.”
Once the agreement is signed, Lotus should quickly confirm the recruitment of its second driver as well as the name of the engine supplier, still unknown at this time. However, it is known that Renault is in pole position to equip the future single-seater (E22?). It is especially the duration of the engine contract that will provide clues about the future of Romain Grosjean’s team, since rumors of a return of the Lotus-Honda duo had emerged during the summer. Renault for 2014 before moving towards the Japanese V6 in 2015? Nico Hülkenberg or Felipe Massa in place of Räikkönen? These are questions that will be answered very soon.
