Räikkönen reassured after his tests in Valencia

The Finn, who had not been behind the wheel of an F1 car since the end of the 2009 season with Ferrari, indeed stated that this testing session allowed him to alleviate his concerns about returning to top form. However, adapting to the Pirelli tires will be one of the most significant changes for the 2007 World Champion:

“The tires are probably the biggest difference with F1 that I’ve experienced, and that’s what I was told,” he said. “But since my test session two weeks ago, I have less apprehension about all that than before.”

«We will see where we are when the first race comes.»

For me, it was nice to get back in the car again. It’s very difficult to say if we did well, but I regained all my driving sensations and got used to working with the team. That was really the goal, to learn. It was very interesting to drive and to feel those emotions again.

If he has regained a good feeling behind the wheel, Iceman has also regained all his motivation, which many journalists were questioning.

« It was only your opinion, I would have stopped earlier if I wasn’t having fun. I’ve always said that I loved racing and I’ve always been very happy driving. There were many stories on the press’s side regarding my motivation, but I’ve never had a problem with that. None of that is present in my mind. »

I don’t think I watch F1 in a different way. It’s a new season and there are things that have changed compared to previous years, but I know the discipline and I know how things work there.

“The race will be a little bit different,” he continued, “but everything else stays more or less the same. Of course, all that changes from one team to another outside of the race, but I’m sure the experience will be similar.”

Räikkönen also remains very confident in Lotus’s ability to become a team capable of fighting for the world championship again. In any case, he assured that the team had all the cards in hand to return to the top step of the podium.

«No one knows exactly how long it will take. The team is really determined to succeed and to return to a winning strategy, but it’s not easy. If it were, everyone would do it. But there are definitely people who want to get back to the top and are putting all their efforts into it. »

“They have won before, which means they have the tools to do it,” continues the Finn. “It’s just about putting everything in place correctly and giving it our all consistently. Hopefully, that will happen soon, but everyone is motivated to get there.”