Kimi Raikkonen is returning to Formula One. The 2077 World Champion made the announcement official Tuesday confirming the speculation that had been around for weeks. Raikkonen will race for Renault which will change its name to the Lotus F1 Team in 2012.
Raikkonen left F1 in 2009 to pursue a career in the World Rallying Championship. He also made a brief appearance in NASCAR in America racing in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series one time each.
“I’m delighted to be coming back to Formula One after a two-year break, and I’m grateful to Lotus Renault GP for offering me this opportunity,” said the 32 year-old Finnish driver. “My time in the World Rally Championship has been a useful stage in my career as a driver, but I can’t deny the fact that my hunger for F1 has recently become overwhelming.”
Raikkonen made his Formula One debut in 2001 with the Sauber team. He signed with McLaren in 2002 and spent five seasons with them, winning nine Grands Prix and finishing second in the drivers’ championship two times. He moved to Ferrari for 2007, winning the title that year.
He agreed to leave Ferrari at the end of the 2009 season despite having a year of his contract still to run, in order to make way for Fernando Alonso.
“It was an easy choice to return with Lotus Renault GP as I have been impressed by the scope of the team’s ambition,” Raikkonen said. “Now I’m looking forward to playing an important role in pushing the team to the very front of the grid.”
The team made no comment on who will be a teammate for Raikkonen next season. The team said last week that driver Robert Kubica who was critically injured in a rallying accident in February of this year, won’t be returning to the team next season, however Kubica’s manager is insisting that Kubica will be recovered in time to re-join the team for 2012.
Tuesday’s announcement was focused on Raikkonen and his return.
“All year long, we kept saying that our team was at the start of a brand new cycle,” Gerard Lopez, chairman of Genii Capital said. “Backstage we’ve been working hard to build the foundations of a successful structure and to ensure that we would soon be able to fight at the highest level.
“Kimi’s decision to come back to Formula One with us is the first step of several announcements which should turn us into an even more serious contender in the future,” he added. “Of course, we are all looking forward to working with a world champion. On behalf of our staff, I’d like to welcome Kimi to Enstone, a setting that has always been known for its human approach to Formula One.”
Renault ended the 2011 season fifth in the constructors' standings, four points ahead of sixth-placed Force India.
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