Räikkönen and Grosjean are calm before Melbourne

In Melbourne, Kimi Räikkönen will experience for the first time in over two years the atmosphere of the starting grids of a Formula One Grand Prix, and for his return to the premier category, the Finnish driver simply wants to try his best and see where that leads him as the actual performances of each remain subject to much speculation: « For the first race in Australia, we mainly want a weekend without major issues or errors. I don’t really know where we will be on the grid, nobody knows. If you look at the winter testing times, you see that it’s very close. We didn’t know how the others were working, with how much fuel, and that makes a big difference. We will have a clearer idea after the free practice sessions in Melbourne, and we will know exactly where we stand after qualifying. »

If the 2007 world champion confirms feeling very comfortable within his new team, he doesn’t hide that a few additional test days would not have been unwelcome, as Lotus was forced to cancel one of its three weeks of testing to address a failure encountered in the design of its front suspensions: « We always want more time to prepare. But that’s how it is, and we have to deal with it. […] Now, it’s just a matter of getting everything in order and making sure I press the right button at the right time. Perhaps a few more test days wouldn’t have hurt. But I’m confident. Everything will be fine when the time comes. »

Although Formula One has somewhat evolved since his departure to new horizons, Kimi Räikkönen repeatedly insists that these changes won’t affect him much: « DRS and KERS are just two buttons to press. During testing, it’s possible to press them too late or too early, but it won’t make a big difference. Pit stops are a bit shorter than before, but nothing fundamentally different. You stop the car and drive off again. […] Of course, I find it has changed a bit compared to my first period, with overtaking, but overall, the sport remains the same. It promises to be exciting and those who can best exploit the tires will probably be in a strong position. »

In Australia, the Iceman will return to a circuit that is not unknown to him as he scored his first World Championship points and secured his first victory there in his first race for Ferrari. “The circuit hasn’t changed so I know where I’m going,” assures the Finn, who believes that the Lotus E20 should feel at home in Albert Park: “It’s a track that requires good traction, and the conclusions from testing suggest that it’s one of the E20’s strengths. Good handling and effective braking are also necessary, and I feel comfortable with the car in these areas. So I think we will be good. The track can be a bit slippery at the beginning of the weekend, and Melbourne’s weather isn’t always very warm. The weather can even be a bit complicated. […] My engineers have conducted simulations, and based on the data recorded during tests, we have an idea of how the car might behave at Albert Park. But we won’t have any certainty until we hit the track. It’s very difficult to evaluate, but I believe and hope that we will be in a good position.”

Romain Grosjean, who has only competed in seven Grand Prix, will discover for the first time the Albert Park circuit driving an F1: “I only came to Australia once, in 2009, when I was the third driver for the team. The country is fantastic. I love Melbourne and I hope the circuit will suit me. It looks magnificent in any case. The atmosphere is very special too. It was one of my favorite circuits even when I wasn’t racing. So I can imagine what it will be like when I drive there.” Unable to use the Enstone simulator, which is not yet operational, the Lotus driver had to find alternatives to prepare for his first race on the temporary Australian circuit: “I watched a lot of onboard camera videos. I also spent a lot of time with my engineers analyzing the circuit data from last season. I will drive as much as possible during the first free practice session to learn the track, accumulate kilometers, and gain track knowledge. […] From what I’ve seen on the onboard cameras, the track seems good and fun to drive. I hope it will suit the E20.”

If he naturally assures that he feels very good within the team, Romain Grosjean sets himself the goal of giving his best every time he gets into the car: I want to score points every time the opportunity arises. But I haven’t set myself a specific goal, like a position. I just want to do my best, do my job well, and bring good points to the team, hopes the Frenchman who is eagerly looking forward to it!

For his part, Eric Boullier approaches the new season in a positive manner after a 2011 campaign sometimes described as chaotic: After the difficult 2011 season – it was my second year in Formula 1 – I feel much more positive and encouraged by everything I see in the team. We are heading in the right direction. Last year turned out to be a tough experience from which everyone learned lessons. Let’s go racing! […] The designers and the entire team have done excellent work this year. The tests have shown that the car is a real improvement in terms of form and finish. It has also proven to be reliable from the start. We will never recover the four lost days in Barcelona, but that’s already behind us. We did a lot of laps in Jerez and quite a few in Barcelona during the second session. The car is reliable, and we made the most of the eight days of testing before heading to Melbourne.

If he acknowledges that continuity can sometimes be beneficial, the British team’s Principal is nevertheless pleased to have hired two fantastic drivers: « Kimi is a world champion, his return is good for Formula 1, for the fans, and great for the team. His experience is invaluable and his involvement stronger than ever. He is leading the team in the right direction. And in Romain, we have a highly talented driver who has already demonstrated that he seizes the opportunities given to him. He is progressing rapidly and I think he will do a good job again this year. We have a superb driver duo. »

James Allison, technical director of the team, is also full of praise for his drivers: « I must say it was an immense pleasure during the winter tests [to work with Räikkönen]. He was able to sustain a race distance from his first day without any signs of fatigue. It was clear, from the outset, that he returned in impeccable physical shape and with a junior’s enthusiasm to succeed. It’s a real pleasure for the engineers to work with him; he provides very clear feedback in a very civilized manner. […] Romain is a fresh young talent. At Jerez, he demonstrated his ability to achieve very respectable lap times. Clearly, he assimilated all the information we gave him after these first tests, and he applied everything the next time in Barcelona. It was a very pleasant surprise to find a driver so receptive to our input and who is able to react and apply the lessons so quickly and in such an intelligent way. »

Consequently, Lotus intends to behave as one of the top teams in this ultra-competitive sport: For me, this year will be marked by the progress we achieve throughout the season. That will be much more encouraging than any hope of specific results or otherwise. If we can finish the year higher in the rankings, I will be delighted, and it would be the best reward for our sponsors and for the team. It is clearly a goal. We want to do better, we want to be better, we want more podiums, and if we have the chance to win one or more races, I would be more than happy. Progress during the season will be the main objective, says Eric Boullier.

But for the Frenchman, the men from Enstone have already had the chance to prove their worth during the problem encountered with the front suspension of the Lotus E20, during the first private testing session in Barcelona: « It was an unexpected problem and we would have preferred to avoid it. But it is clear that the way the team resolved this issue showed us in our best light. Everyone got down to the task and focused on the solution, not on what hadn’t worked. Our approach to solving the problem was good. Everything was modified very quickly and with the same attention to quality that we see everywhere on the E20. This issue is now behind us and that should be all for surprises. »

Furthermore, James Allison reveals that the new Pirelli tires seem to work well with the Lotus E20: « We were able to achieve good lap times and noted a good warm-up. The degradation seems to align with races that the public enjoys. The tires don’t degrade too quickly to avoid the races becoming a senseless litany of pit stops. However, they offer a sufficient performance gap between the different types of compounds to keep the spectacle interesting. »

The British engineer, who admits having planned some little surprises for Australia, assures that the goal remains to integrate into the Top 4 of the championship: « This is what we are aiming for and I believe we can say loud and clear that we are capable of it. That said, the grid hierarchy is notoriously difficult to read from the winter testing. »