Kimi: 'Leaving Ferrari a relief'
2012-11-08 10:03
RETURN OF THE ICEMAN: Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen is now third in the 2012 Drivers' Championship with two races left in the season.
Kimi Raikkonen has admitted that it was a "relief" when his lucrative deal with Ferrari ended in 2009.
The premature termination of the his contract, making room for the arrival of Fernando Alonso, pushed Raikkonen out of F1 and off to a two-year foray in world rallying and Nascar.
Raikkonen returned to the grid in 2012 with Lotus, performing impressively to now sit third in the Drivers' standings and having notched his 19th career Grand Prix win in Abu Dhabi.
'I DON'T MISS ANYONE'
He is also signed up for 2013.
Speaking on leaving Ferrari, Raikkonen said: "Neither good nor bad. I won a title with them and had some good times. I am satisfied with the three years I spent there.
"I don't miss anyone. To me, leaving there was a relief. The situation could have been better, but it's the past and what is done cannot be reversed. Things don't last long if you're working somewhere and the relations are not good."
He explained that, in contrast, he enjoys working with Lotus: "I felt good from the start. People work hard and calmly, but they want to win and the sport and the technical sides come before the politics."
