James Allison: The man behind Kimi's car
Interest in Lotus has skyrocketed since Kimi Raikkonen announced his return to F1 with the team last year. Jonathan Noble asked technical director James Allison what he has done to give the Finn a car his talent deserves
When Kimi Raikkonen announced his Formula 1 return at the end of last year, it was clear that 2012 was going to be a big campaign for the team now known as Lotus.
Not only was it going to be essential that the outfit showed that its sometimes challenging 2011 campaign was just a blip; it was equally clear that it now had a responsibility to ensure that the machinery it put on track was worthy of a former world champion.
Share Or Save This Story
Shanghai F1 grass fire mystery remains; emergency team on standby
F1 teams and Pirelli had no warning of “painted” Shanghai track surface
FIA still chasing answers over bizarre Shanghai F1 grass fires
Audi a player, not a spectator, in F1 driver market - Sauber
Mercedes joins Williams and RB with 'quick and cheap' F1 cockpit airflow upgrades
Alpine gets F1 spare car for first time in 2024 as lighter chassis appears in China
Russell: Mercedes locked in F1 "battle of fine margins"
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
Shanghai F1 grass fire mystery remains; emergency team on standby
Live: F1 Chinese GP updates – Sprint Race & Qualifying
The Haas F1 updates that have bucked a sprint race trend
Long Beach IMSA: Derani takes pole for Cadillac by 0.009s, then wrecks
The short-term pain that hides a very real Williams improvement
How a Shanghai to Sheffield journey paved the way for China’s F1 hero
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
How the F1 driver market situation sits for each team with 2025 openings
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
