Kimi Raikkonen to see out 2013 F1 season with Lotus as row settled
Kimi Raikkonen has reached a provisional agreement with Lotus to settle his pay dispute, AUTOSPORT can reveal, which should ensure he completes the 2013 Formula 1 season with the team
Following a weekend of intense negotiations between the Finn's management and Lotus owner Gerard Lopez, sources have confirmed that a skeleton deal has been put in place that resolves their issues.
Although Raikkonen had been persuaded to race in Abu Dhabi after threatening to not do so, he and his management team made it emphatically clear that he would not continue for the United States and Brazil races if matters were not sorted.
Speaking on Friday, when he revealed he had not been paid at all during 2013, Raikkonen has said: "I enjoy racing, I enjoy driving - but a big part of it is business. Sometimes when that is not dealt with like it should we end up in an unfortunate situation.
"You have to put the line somewhere, and if it goes over that... it is not really my fault any more."
That threat, and the possibility of there even being court action if Lotus was not willing to concede some ground, proved a catalyst for the situation to be sorted.
AUTOSPORT understands that on Sunday morning, following more than two days of talks, Lopez and Raikkonen's manager Steve Robertson laid out a framework for moving forward that both parties are happy with.
As long as the deal is formally signed off by lawyers, and Lotus sticks to the points of the agreement laid out, then Raikkonen will compete in the final two races of the campaign.
Raikkonen's presence will be valuable to the team as it is locked in a big battle with Mercedes and Ferrari for second place in the constructors' championship.
The Finn had a nightmare weekend in Abu Dhabi, starting last after his car failed a post-qualifying floor deflection test and then retiring on the first lap.
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
F1 teams and Pirelli had no warning of “painted” Shanghai track surface
FIA still chasing answers over bizarre Shanghai F1 grass fires
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
The contrasting fortunes of F1's big-name moves to Ferrari
The many surprise driver cameos of the 2023 NASCAR Cup season
Raikkonen "got unlucky" with COTA chaos on NASCAR return
Friday favourite: Why Herbert prefers a car he had to wrestle above his F1 winners
How BRM’s engine overreach hindered a pioneering F1 Lotus
Indy 500 retrospective: When Jones beat Clark and paused a revolution
MotoGP schedule: When is the next MotoGP race and where will it be held?
Honda MotoGP boss "confused" by "good improvements" not working
Friday favourite: Why Herbert prefers a car he had to wrestle above his F1 winners
New Time Attack competition for 1990s F1 cars launched by AGS successor
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.
Top Comments