John Watson talks about Räikkönen, Di Resta and Hülkenberg

The 2012 season will undoubtedly be marked by the return of Kimi Räikkönen to Formula One after two years spent in rallying and experimenting with NASCAR and Endurance. Naturally, the Finnish driver will be closely watched, as some, in light of Michael Schumacher’s difficult comeback, express some reservations about the fitness of the 2007 world champion: “I’m a big fan of Michael and I hoped he would win a race, but it was more difficult for many reasons, and I’m sure Kimi will face the same problems,” John Watson tells PA Sport. “The tires, aerodynamics, and technology have evolved since the last time Kimi was on a starting grid, so it will be tough, but Kimi is the kind of guy who is known to be quite laid-back, so he’s going to do it at his own pace. He probably wants to prove a lot of things, but he’ll do it his way, and it will be interesting to see how he fares compared to Schumacher.”

The former McLaren driver believes, however, that the Finn made the right decision by joining Lotus for his return to the pinnacle of motorsport categories: At least he joined a good team, and I’d like to believe they can return to the level they were at when Alonso won titles with them. I’d love to see them win again, and seeing Kimi Räikkönen in a competitive car would be very exciting. I just hope his commitment will be at the level he showed us during his best times and not at the level it was in his last seasons at Ferrari.

But John Watson is especially excited about the idea of seeing one more champion at the start: “With six world champions on the grid, you can’t find a better selling point,” he says before engaging in the traditional pre-season predictions game: “The favorites are in the four leading teams, and they are there to be challenged by teams like Lotus and maybe Force India. But the resources those four teams have, not only financially but also humanly and technologically, are at such a level that it’s difficult to challenge them from behind. Those teams [editor’s note: Lotus or Force India] would need a superhuman at their disposal, and even if they have one, it’s still hard to say.”

The five-time Grand Prix winner, however, warns to be cautious of Force India: « They have replaced Adrian Sutil with Nico Hülkenberg, who I think is exceptional. If Paul di Resta or he manages to be competitive enough to move the team to the front of the pack, it will be something not to miss. These two guys are potential future champions and that’s all we need to know to follow their progress, but even if the team gives them the technical means over the 20 races, it will be a big challenge for Force India. »