Lauda: Räikkönen will need an excellent car to shine
Kimi Räikkönen's return to F1 delights Niki Lauda, but the Austrian believes that the Finn will need a very good car if he hopes to be a frontrunner in his comeback.
Niki Lauda, triple world champion, expressed his delight at Kimi Räikkönen’s return to Formula 1 in 2012. He believes the Finnish driver will be able to quickly readapt to Formula 1 despite two years away in the WRC. This return should also generate strong enthusiasm from the media and all F1 fans, according to him.
«It’s excellent news that he is back. He has an exceptional personality and he will create enormous interest and a lot of excitement for the media and fans, » Niki Lauda told Autosport.
But according to Lauda, the 2007 world champion will need an excellent car from the Lotus F1 team if he wants to shine again and play a leading role.
« It is a very good decision by Renault or Lotus, as the team is now called. It depends on the competitiveness of the car, because Kimi will only shine in an excellent car, » specifies the Austrian.
Not everyone agrees with Niki Lauda, and this is particularly the case for Jarno Trulli. The Italian driver believes that Räikkönen will have trouble readjusting to Formula 1, which has changed over the past two years with the introduction of DRS and Pirelli tires.
« It will be difficult for Kimi when he has to readjust to an F1 car. I don’t think Kimi will be very fast at the beginning, » Trulli told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
