Lopez: “Kimi is often misunderstood”

Kimi Räikkönen made the paddock of the F1 that he would not compete in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Finn having arrived at the Yas Marina circuit a few moments before the start of the first free practice sessions. The situation deteriorated following the argument between Alan Permane, the director of track operations, and the Finn who had defended himself aggressively in India against his teammate Romain Grosjean yet faster than him. The situation has deteriorated between the Esntone team and the 2007 world champion since the latter chose to return to the Team Ferrari next year.

Gerard Lopez nevertheless affirms that the situation between him and Kimi Räikkönen is “good” despite the perceptible tensions. “I talk to Kimi more often than you think and we rarely discuss F1”, declares the director of Genii Capital, owner of the British team. “Of course, we've heard a lot about the comments between Alan Permane and Kimi during a high-voltage moment in the race, but it was just a few seconds of exchange in a two-year relationship. It certainly wasn't the most beneficial seconds, but you have to step back and accept that everyone is passionate about racing and that these things can happen sometimes. »

If the big boss of Lotus F1 Team ensures that relations have remained good between the team and the Finn, Gerard Lopez seems above all to want to put out the fire. “From my point of view, Kimi is often misunderstood. He's actually very talkative, very friendly. We discussed his departure for Ferrari and he was very frank. It was both factual and moving. In two years, I found a friend in F1 even though it's a very difficult place to find one. »