Raikkonen warns he may miss last two races as Lotus “haven’t paid a single Euro”

2013 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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Kimi Raikkonen has warned Lotus the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be his last drive for them if they do not pay him his outstanding wages.

Raikkonen told reporters in Abu Dhabi “I haven’t been paid a single Euro this year” by the team.

“It’s an unfortunate thing because I understand the team’s side of it,” said Raikkonen.

“But sometimes when you been put in a position and told different stories and people thinks that you don’t work for the team or you don’t care what happens to them it’s not exactly true if I’m doing it without being really being paid.”

Raikkonen said he had considered not racing because of the situation. He has already agreed to drive for Ferrari next and said earlier in the season the shortfall in payments from Lotus was part of the reason why.

He indicated he had addressed the matter with the team again in Abu Dhabi, saying: “Hopefully we have a bit better understanding on certain issues what has been going through the whole year.”

“I mean unfortunately we end up in that kind of situation and is not really anything to do with me. In the end we try to enjoy this team but on the other side it’s a business and if you don’t respect on that side you can end up in this kind of situation.”

Raikkonen added the radio row between him and trackside operations director Alan Permane was not a significant factor in his warning to the team or his refusal to show up for media engagements yesterday:

“In the end it has happened and it doesn’t change anything any more. But I mean that’s not the reason why I wasn’t here yesterday, it’s part of it but I wouldn’t say that this is a big part of it.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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165 comments on “Raikkonen warns he may miss last two races as Lotus “haven’t paid a single Euro””

  1. Don’t we all love the silly season, especially when it’s extra silly extra early.

    Can’t blame him, surprised he’s stayed with the team this long!

    1. @disjunto Definitely have to give him credit for continuing to drive. Hulkenberg too, though with Sauber attracting Russian backing perhaps he has at least had some money out of them.

      What a parlous financial situation F1 is in at the moment though. This is a team which could quite realistically finish second in the championship this year, their budget is around half that of the richest teams yet they can’t pay their top driver?

      Makes you wonder which of the following categories each F1 drivers falls into: pay driver, paid driver and unpaid driver…

      1. Kimi has shown a lot of patience with Lotus and has continued to drive and do his best. Sadly, this is probably the only leverage he has left. After the season is over all he can do is sue Lotus and that could drag on for years with huge fees from lawyers and court costs all to maybe get nothing.

        Lotus is in an unenviable predicament. Having Kimi drive is their best opportunity to place higher in the WCC and earn more prize money. If Kimi does not drive, Lotus will likely finish lower in the standings without him than with him and earn less prize money.

        I still see comments that Kimi should just take a step back and drive. Or, that he doesn’t really need the money that bad, stuff like that. All I can say is that anyone, anyone with a job or a contract to perform services deserves to be paid for what they do. As someone who has been cheated by a former employer out of thousands of dollars, it is a feeling you never forget.

        I really hope Lotus can get it together and do well. The financial situation in F1 makes little sense for a business that generates as much revenue and profits as it does. If the finances of the teams are killed off to such a point that the show is degraded significantly, the goose that laid the golden egg cannot survive. The Lotus/Kimi situation and pay drivers over paid drivers are highly visible symptoms that the patient is not well.

        1. Don’t forget Kimi is(or at least used to be) a huge factor in the sponsorship Lotus got. It’s not like Rexona, Renault, Clear and Burn lined up for Romain Grosjean ads.Most of it was taking advantage of Kimi’s image and this alone should have been a good enough reason to keep him.

          1. That is exactly my thinking too. The entity Kimi is probably more quite a bit more popular than Lotus the team.

            They are not only losing the best driver ever to drive a full season for free but also a very marketable character indeed.

      2. @keithcollantine imo, Lotus isn’t in financial troubles because F1 is so expensive for them but Genii Capital isn’t interested in running an F1 team respectively in investing money. Lopez and Lux are venture capitalists and their business model is to use leveraged buy-outs to acquire companies with money from investors and resell them with a profit. The Infinity deal was the first step and they gonna sell more stakes. If they don’t find other buyers in the medium-term they’ll simple load the company with debt and go bankrupt.

        1. @tmf42, which of course, is why Kimi wants to be paid NOW!

      3. @keithcollantine there was once a Brazilian footballer, Vampeta, who said something very funny when his team wasn’t paying him: “They pretend to pay me and I pretend to play”.

        Raikkonen looks like he is in the same situation for last few races, pretending to drive. If he actually quit at least he can stop pretending.

        1. @paulk – “Raikkonen looks like he is in the same situation for last few races, pretending to drive. If he actually quit at least he can stop pretending.

          Fact check =
          Singapore – 3rd
          Korea – 2nd
          Japan – 5th
          India – 7th (after doing over 50 laps on a set of tires, overheating brakes the whole race and fuel saving towards the end of the race)

          Many wish they could “pretend” so well.

      4. @keithcollantine Agreed. This is, to me, somewhat sad. In addition, with races taking place in exotic and debatable (who said unethical?) places, what’s gonna be the future of F1? Unpaid drivers “managing their tyres” in front of tribunes “filled with virtual” fans (cf. the big pictures of Ferrari fans behind the Ferrari drivers in the karting photos posted in the Abu Dhabi GP build-up, ).

        Sad, I would say. Especially when we talk about a team that can well finished in the 2nd place with a much lower budget than its top opponents, thereby demonstrating that creativity and knowledge can take you a long way even if you’re “on a budget”, so to say.

      5. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
        2nd November 2013, 21:15

        @Keith_Collantine

        Makes you wonder which of the following categories each F1 drivers falls into: pay driver, paid driver and unpaid driver…

        Ha-ha, that’s hilarious until we realize the implications for the sport.

  2. Now that’s really unfair and unprofessional from Lotus point of view. Now I understand Kimi’s decision to go to Ferrari, although I think he should drive at the last two races this season.

    1. A contract works both ways – if one side doesn’t keep their commitments, you can’t expect the other side to do so.

      1. Agreed and I don’t think he should drive the last 2 races if they team really have not paid him. To my thinking, welching on payments for services already rendered, contract or otherwise, is one of the most low-down actions possible. I did not expect a team with that kind of pedigree to behave in a such a manner.

        1. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
          2nd November 2013, 21:20

          @Loup_Garou
          Absolutely, if he races then collecting the money could become an issue and be dragged out in court which will affect Kimi for many seasons.

          Plus it sets a bad precedent for all teams to do that to their drivers and other staff.

          I think the FIA or Bernie should step in and resolve this. Teams should pay their drivers and other team members in full.

          I think Kimi has handled this like a gentleman which is very surprising. If they can’t pay him in full before Austin he should NOT race, period!

          1. I completely disagree that this is surprising at all! Kimi may not be some classical 60’s 007 gentleman type but in my opinion he is by far the best behaved driver on a grid full of self centered, spoiled little brats. I don’t think I recall a single incident of Kimi complaining about other drivers or bitching after the race. He always rubs it off, calls it a racing incident and cuts whoever the offender was a more than reasonable amount of slack.

            That’s why I don’t quite understand @Keith_Collantine s alleged “distaste” for Kimi (despite taking all the F1F headlines today, hehe). After all he is not British so don’t expect him to have British manners but let this just be yet another example of what a standup guy he is.

  3. I agree with Räikkönen that it is ridiculous not to get paid despite a contract. I didn’t think he would have not been paid anything at all! Don’t think it is a good sign for the financial health of Lotus…

    1. I agree. I’m honestly surprised Kimi has kept it under wraps for so long. I’d fully support him from skipping races. It’s completely unacceptable.

  4. Raikkonen told reported in Abu Dhabi

    reporters ? @keithcollatine

    1. jesus christ dude :-S

    2. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
      2nd November 2013, 21:22

      Where are F1Fanatic’s stewards? Drive through penalty for Keith! :-)

    3. Sheez… a typo. Don’t you have better things to do?
      BTW – I’m an English teacher. Typos happen, deal with it.

  5. I kinda hope he sits them out, because I would like to see Davide valsecchi give it a go.

    1. I was thinking the same thing, although that might end up like Grosjean in ’09…

    2. Agreed! This might be a chance for Davide, who I really want to see in F1.

    3. Joao Pitol (@)
      1st November 2013, 21:21

      Marco Sørensen told danish press that he might be in the Lotus for one of the last races this year.

      http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/anden_sport/motorsport/article2126882.ece

      “I would not rule out that I’m going to participate in one of the season’s last races, says Marco L. Sorensen, who has the official status of Lotus’ junior. “

    4. You say that because you’re not going to either the US or the Brazilian GP, I’m travelling to Austin in two weeks time and I know which driver I want to see on track.

      Also is in the best interests of Lotus to have Kimi racing, there’s a lot of money in second place in the WCC and Valsecchi would be way off the pace in two tracks he’s never raced on.

    5. I think with the money ‘problems’ they might opt for a pay driver.
      I bet McLaren could pay a bit to let Magnussen or Vandoorne drive a race or 2!

  6. The first thing that came to me when I heard about this is that had Lotus paid him all the money he is owed this season, that money would not have gone to developing the car and other costs as well. Yes I would be annoyed if I were him, but stepping back and gaining some perspective would help. Just my opinion, though.

    1. But this could be good news for Davide Valsecchi…

    2. I agree, but by my calculations from what I’ve heard (3 million euros for the 2013 season + 50,000 euros for every point he scores), with 183 points scored, Lotus owns Kimi 12 million euros. That a huge amount of money!

    3. @gfreeman, it seems Kimi is not an employee but a contractor, as such he will be at the end of the line when the creditors move in, he has every right to be worried and annoyed.

      1. I never implied he didn’t have a right to be worried or annoyed, I was merely referring to the fact that he’s willing to skip the last two races. Personally, I don’t think he’ll back out in the end – but part of me wouldn’t mind as it’d be nice to see Davide Valsecchi step in.

  7. His patience with Lotus is enormous, it seems. I also think he should drive the last two races, for his own sake at the very least. Shows he’s a classy guy.

    This is far from good news for potential drivers who are in the race for Kimi’s seat. Begs the question if they are able to pay Hulkenberg or Massa next season while staying competitive.

    1. They’ll go for Maldonado’s money …

      1. They’ll go for Maldonado’s money …

        Take Maldonado for his money just so they can pay Kimi.
        So effectively Maldonado will be paying Kimi’s salary in F1? Lovely.

        Maybe I’ll should save this question for later, but if a poor team like Sauber/Williams/Lotus get an influx of money from the ‘pay’ drivers, when would you expect to see the increased funding having an effect on the performance of the team? You could argue Maldonado’s money hasn’t done Williams any good.

        1. Well, yes and no – Maldonado scored their first win in a long time last year. I just can’t help but think that they really do need a overhaul in management, Toto Wolff seemed to be having a decent impact on them last year but ultimately he moved to Mercedes.

    2. More to the point, will Lotus be there next year?

      1. Yes, but as RaikkonenF1 team because they have to do debt for equity swap to avoid bankruptcy.

        1. Well, in some way there is a real point to that. If the question is whether Lotus could have been as competitive if the had give Kimi the 15M instead of engineering, the counter question is whether they could have scored so many points without Kimi?

          Of course not, and Kimi never agreed pay for the development of his car. At the end of the day Lotus will receive a lot more prize money because of acquiring Kimi’s top standard efforts for free. It is unfair and embarrassing for Lotus. Get it fixed!!

  8. Sad end to a great two years, really. But if he’s not paid, it’s hard to do much. Other teams have dropped drivers because they didn’t bring money in time, this is the other way around.

    Which is a “good” surprise considering all the pay-driver talk ! now we got the unpaid-driver !

    Also, this doesn’t help Hulk’s prospects, does it? With all the rumours about Maldonado stepping in… I’m scared. What’s gonna happen with Lotus?

    1. I think Hulk’s salary is likely to be a little different to Raikkonen’s… I’m guessing he wouldn’t be prepared to sign for Lotus until after the Quantum deal has actually been sealed, putting the team in a better financial position.

    2. It does saying a lot about Raikkonen’s character. This is the second year in a row he has been driving essentialy for free, with no guarantees of Lotus actually paying him.

  9. Things do really look bad for Lotus. Such a shame. They are doing really well to hit this kind of trouble.

  10. I doubt Lotus will (be able to) pay Räikkönen the 10-20 million euros that they owe him just so that he drives the last two races for them. If they were willing and capable of doing that, they would have paid him already. It’ll be interesting to see whether Räikkönen carries out the threat he made.

    1. Knowing Kimi, he will!

      And I hope he does stand up to his principles (quite literally!)

  11. Welcome Hulkenado!

  12. Now this begs another question … If Kimi had not been paid, how about Romain Grosjean ? are they paying him at least ? We can say Kimi is a veteran and he would have some reserves to take care of these scenarios. Romain being a rookie must be much more cash strapped.

    Or is Romain thinking that Keeping his ride itself would be the greatest Pay he can get this year ????

    1. +1 What about Grosjean?

      1. Romain is sponsored by TOTAL, so he has no problems with getting paid

    2. Rookie? Grosjean has been with Lotus for 4 or 5 years I think.

      1. Well, this is the first full season he’ll complete, so if you want to be really technical, he is still a rookie :P

        1. @kaiie
          This is Romain’s second full season. Or do you mean his last season wasn’t “a full season”, because he was banned from one race? :P Nevertheless he had started 26 races before this season, so he’s hardly a rookie.

          1. Yup, since he missed one race, he didn’t do a “full” season :)

        2. I guess that means kallie doesn’t consider it a full season due to all the DNF’s and 1st lap crashes as well! :’D

    3. Romain is sponsored by Total, they pay his half a million euros salary on behalf of Lotus.

      1. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
        1st November 2013, 18:45

        +1. Not many people realize it, or care to think about it, but RoGro really should be considered a pay driver.

        1. So should Alonso. Santander brings a lot of money.

          1. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
            1st November 2013, 20:21

            @rambler – I completely agree. I’ve mentioned it before, but didn’t want the Alonso drones after me today! :)

  13. I thought the original problem was that he hadn’t been paid points bonuses but if he genuinely hasn’t been paid at all, that is a damn poor show from Lotus. Sure, he doesn’t need it (his divorce notwithstanding!) but nobody should be taken for a ride if you’ve been given assurances.

    1. You dont know how Kimis investments fared in the GFC, he might have had all his money in Iceland.

      1. Good point. It’s easy to forget that these guys (the ones that are very well compensated) don’t just leave their moolah sitting in a current account where it will be devalued by inflation and vulnerable to a bank collapse. I wonder if any of them took nasty losses in the crash and ongoing depression.

  14. Had Raikkonen been paid some part of his salary, would he have stayed with Lotus??? Opinions please!!

    1. Depends how much

    2. Only if they have had money for developing a fast car too. Money is the bonus i think.

  15. I’m sure Raikkonen doesn’t need to be paid ever again, he’s a very wealthy man. But it’s the principle of the thing. He was hired by Lotus to do a job, which by and large he has done excellently. It seems that he’s been very patient and understanding over the entire season with them. As soon as he secured a drive with Ferrari for 2014 it would have been very easy for Kimi tell Lotus he’s taking an unpaid vacation and not show up ever again. It’s to his credit that he’s stuck around and (recent qualifying issues aside) continued to perform at a very high level.

    1. he’s a very wealthy man

      How do you know that ?

      1. @hohum Well as Schumacher’s direct successor at Ferrari I remember he was being paid very handsomely for his skills, or to not use them at all in 2009. Plus he’s been in F1 for over ten seasons mostly at large, wealthy teams. Unless he’s completely squandered his money I think it’s a fair assumption that he isn’t lining up at soup kitchens between Grand Prix.

        1. Sorry I mean he was paid not to show up at all in 2010, not ’09.

          1. Well it all depends on where he invested his money, I agree he should be wealthy but a lot of people who thought they would never have to worry about money again have been wrong. James Hunts name just popped into my head as I typed this.

      2. If I’m not mistaken he was paid around 30 million euros a year when he actually raced for them and upwards of 50 million in 2009 when he didn’t race for them.

    2. @colossal-squid well he has made lots of cash but that doesn’t mean he aint earned his cash, he earned it and also the privilege of spending it all, you don’t know if he has money or not, it’s not like for example with Grosjean where you know that his family is loaded.

      1. @peartree See my above comment to Hohum as to why it’s probable that Raikkonen is not broke. He’s earned tens (possibly well over a hundred) millions of euros. I also said that he’s entitled to his pay. I appears you’ve completely misunderstood the essence of my comment, or not read it all.

      2. @colossal-squid I’m very aware that he earned a big sum in 09, to add up to all the millions he earned previously but

        I(t) appears you’ve completely misunderstood the essence of my comment, or not read it all.

        I add, I read your comment but you misread mine. I said that Raikkonen earned his money and he earned the right to spend it, meaning that even if he still has some dough he could need it but more importantly he deserves it, he isn’t like other people that haven’t had to work for it, not to mention deserve the money. Have you understand this now.

        well he has made lots of cash but that doesn’t mean he aint earned his cash, he earned it and also the privilege of spending it all, you don’t know if he has money or not, it’s not like for example with Grosjean where you know that his family is loaded.

        .

        1. @peartree So you just reiterated what I said in my first comment?

          But it’s the principle of the thing.

          is to my mind not in conflict with your statement that

          he has made lots of cash but that doesn’t mean he aint earned his cash

          I say in my comment Raikkonen deserves his money – the implication being that he deserves do do with it as he pleases afterwards. I say you misread my comment as my pointing out his wealth was only to put into sharp relief the fact that despite his wealth he has earned his money. You pointed out the same thing then questioned whether he was wealthy or not, something that was mainly irrelevant to my argument – that he’s earned what he is owed by Lotus.

          Now do you understand?

    3. Yes, it is the principle of the thing. When someone is hired to do a job, it is immaterial whether he/she is wealthy or needs the money. If they do the job that that they are supposed to, then they have to be paid for it as agreed, as simple as that. That is the basic law by which the world works and trying to look at it in a different way is nonsensical.

      Those of us here who are employed expect to be paid for the services rendered, right? Some of us may enjoy the work, for others it might just be routine and for still others a necessary chore. But at the end of the day we do it because of the paycheck at the end of the month or whatever and if for some reason that is not forthcoming, all of us feel cheated irrespective of the size of the savings in the bank.

  16. I thought raikkonen loves racing? Guess money is more important.

    1. Principles are important

    2. Well obviously he loves racing, he has been racing for free the entire season!

      1. +10

      2. I would also love to race for free if I already have many millions on my side! :D

        1. That is why you never had the chance..people got rich because thinking like Kimi.

    3. Forget the article, did you even read the headline?

    4. He’s looking forward to racing for room and board for the next 50 years, I think there may be a flaw in that plan though.

    5. @juzh He’s done 16 races without being paid, how does that show “money is more important”?

      1. +1 And don’t forget last year, they did not pay him until the season’s end when they got their Bernie Bonus payment (constructor’s champ prize money for coming 4th). Of course if they had suffered a poor run of luck and finished much worse, would they be able to pay? Is that any way to run a railroad?
        (err F1team)…

    6. If Lotus couldn’t afford a driver of Raikkonen’s caliber, then they had no business signing him in the first place. He isn’t doing this as a beloved hobby; it’s his profession, and he’s one of the best people in that profession. I find the suggestion that he should be happy to drive for free to be a bit much!

      Maybe people ought to think back to Ayrton Senna — someone whose love of racing I seriously doubt anyone would question — and the way he approached contracts. Then ask yourself: Would Senna have continued driving for Lotus this season?

  17. keep and eye on the prize, if they manage second, the payout is huge, i am sure they will pay him then. Its not the right thing to do, but I am sure that a team like lotus will pay their debts

    1. They will pay their debts,….. if they can! You dont know how much debt they have.

    2. You must be kidding right? Lotus has had ample opportunity 11 months to be exact, to pay him however for some reason they have failed to do so. Why would that change in a month?

  18. To be quite frank given all this I find the way Lotus has acted towards Raikkonen since he announced his switch to Ferrari a little childish. It strikes me that Boullier seems to think that the team – and he in particular – is the victim here, portraying a situation where Raikkonen backstabbed the team (think bunny tweet) by leaving for ‘money’ or whatever (which, strictly speaking, is true). Intentionally or not, there seems to be an animosity towards Raikkonen coming from the higher ladders of the team – already in Korea it seemed weird to me that Boullier himself pushed Grosjean to regain the place from Kimi, never mind being told by Parmane whether he could please move out of the way.

    Truth is, they shouldn’t just be grateful he even bothers but should appreciate the fact he’s kept it relatively quiet for half a year. The situation strikes me as one where Boullier was given entrance to the toy shop with brilliant performances at the beginning of the year and is now sulky that he’s not having his member card renewed.

  19. Lotus will want him in those last two races if they desire a chance to grab 2nd in the WCC. Maybe he’s found a way to force Lotus to pay him.

    1. I don’t know which tax-haven Genii resides in, Isle of Jersey perhaps? but surely Kimi can file a lawsuit?

      1. Genii Capital headquarters are in Luxembourg.

  20. Yes i said this back along when he was getting praised for still racing?, Huh what so he should race the guy is set up for not 1 life loads of lies he never needs another penny again he as it all in his balance. Yeh yeh its a contract and it shoulnt be broken i get that. but i have no sympathy this is a guy who as earned extortianate amounts lol why should he not race, he is after all a boy racer who races anything quick according to some.

    1. Edit: loads of lifes not lies.

      1. Like that’s the only thing wrong there

        1. seriously…

    2. Maybe we should scrap pay in F1 altogether then, since they’re all basically set up for life.

      Oh wait. That’s what hobbyists do.

    3. Well, i think it’s the disrespect that bothers him the most? Rich people need a lot of money, they have huge expenses (“it’s not the large income, but the low expenditure”). I think he would have raced for free if he didn’t need the money. If Kimi did race for free some would probably say “he has to race for free, otherwise nobody would want him”. Haters keep on hating.

    4. Maybe Genii should forego profit or paying anyone else as well because they love racing? Are Boullier or Premane getting paid?
      Hypocracy thy name is Lotus… Everyone who says he should do it for free is welcome to join him in solidarity by donating a year’s wages to charity, or just ****.

  21. Th definition of poetic justice would be Kimi wins in Abu Dhabi!

    1. Indeed! Although I don’t think the team would be very happy because it would be 25 more points added to their debt!

      1. @toiago But also 25 points added to WCC, which they need. Make no mistake, the relationships between Lotus and Raikkonen are in an all-time low, but they still need him to perform the best he can (or want).

        1. On Kimi’s bonus, each race win costs Lotus €1.25M (€50k per point), if they ever find it will be another matter.

      2. Try and understand, POINTS = INCOME for the team as well as Kimi.

      3. I was just joking, I’m well aware of the benefits of scoring as much points as possible. Apparently I wasn’t very clear in my previous comment.

    2. I’m all in, my pick for the win is Raikkonen. (Vettel for pole.) ahem

  22. At first I thought Kimi was being a bit petty with his demands, but if he really hasn’t been paid at all, well that is shocking. If anyone here wasn’t paid for their job all year, they would have the right to complain or leave, it doesn’t matter if Kimi’s very rich, the principle is he hasn’t been paid. I would like him to miss the last two races to see who Lotus used, I hope it’s d’Ambrosio!

  23. So basically lotus keeps on pressing Kimi’s buttons. First they dont pay him his money for driving fantastically all year, then they let a Alan shout and curse on the radio. Uncool Lotus!!!

    1. Exactly, and so very very very smart of Kimi to leave Lotus. He himself said, in response to a question from Ted Kravitz, that he was never treated like that at either McLaren or Ferrari.

      Lotus =/= class

  24. Kimi, do a solid and opt out of the race remaining in the calendar. Help Ferrari with 2nd spot and get paid more next year.

    Double Whammy :)

  25. I feel so sorry for Raikkonen, having to drive one of the best cars in the world for nothing… Oh wait… No I don’t!

    1. +1000

      Other drivers has to pay to get that seat, he cant even be bothered to show up for sponsor work or be bothered to join his teams for off race work if he doesn’t like the car, reacts like a kid when spoken to.

      Good riddance, hope he gets shafted at Ferrari, what a child.

      1. “Other drivers have to pay to get that seat” – Surely you are not saying Maldonado/some other driver is equal to Kimi.

        Kimi is a 1-time WDC and has scored consistently for Lotus following his return. Anyone who does his job deserves to be paid, Period.

      2. “reacts like a kid when spoken to” So you have spoken with Kimi how many times? You probably own a few shares on Rexona too, because the lack of PR work is a concern for you. I like watching him race and “i couldn’t care less” if he’s not promoting anti-perspirants.

      3. -1001

        Any good reasons to show up for sponsor work if you haven’t been paid all season? :D Especially when sponsor work is Kimis favorite hobby number 2, number 1 is seeing his dentist.

      4. When you are ready to work for free let me know.

      5. Pay drivers dont put 168 points in the bank .

      6. You know, having to pay for your seat is not exactly a merit ;)

      7. Why show up to sponsor events?

        Because its his ****** job, thats why, if you guys haven’t noted theres a global financial crisis going on, meanwhile this little spoiled brat is complaining about everything, showing the attitude of a 13 year old.

        Wish he would just leave so we don’t have to listen to his pathetic attempt at English one word sentences which he cant even be bothered with learning properly for x millions a year.

        So he didn’t get paid so far, if he has half a brain he wouldn’t exactly need money by now ( he may have spend it all on Vodka for all I know), but he got to be on one of the best teams in F1, he could have made it work, worked with them to better the car, instead he just walks the minute the car doesn’t suit him. Good riddance, hope he gets the second fiddle at Ferrari.

        1. jsw11984 (@jarred-walmsley)
          2nd November 2013, 5:52

          Yes, its his job. His job he HASN’T BEEN PAID FOR, so why the hell should he continue doing it? That makes absolutely no sense at all.

          From all appearances its not so much the money as it is the principal, would you continue to do your job if you weren’t being paid for it?

          I think not, I know this cause I certainly wouldn’t do my job if I was supposed to be being paid for it and I wasn’t getting paid.

          Sure, he may have a few mil in the bank, but why shouldn’t he continue to get paid for doing his job. I suspect you despise Kimi for some reason and are using this as an opportunity to bereate him. Guess what, its stupid. Personally I don’t like Kimi either, I think he’s bit of a jerk, but I support him in this because its a matter of principles.

          Do all of us a favour and shut up

          1. Sure, he may have a few mil in the bank, but why shouldn’t he continue to get paid for doing his job.

            PLUS he has been paying HIS expenses and his SUPPORT TEAM’S expenses out of his own pocket! Of course he needs to get paid to recover these expenses! Sheesh, people!

        2. Hasn’t been paid for YET… if nothing else he can take them to court.

          Bottom line is he was given a once on in a lifetime change to come back to F1 and work with 1 of the best teams to do great things, and instead getting on with the tasks he has been busy yelling “Don’t talk to me while I’m cornering” and walking away when the steering doesn’t fit him when really he should have just stuck with it, doing the laps that the team needs to get crucial info.

          An yes I do plenty of “free” work, local clubs, red cross, you name it, its a gift to be allowed to do it, just like it should have been a gift to Raikkonen to be allowed to race for one of the greats after he walked away demotivated once (at Ferrari).

          Spoiled brat, nothing else.

          1. You talk about taking multi-million dollar companies to court as an individual like it’s a walkthrough procedure. LOL

            Bottom line is he was given a once on in a lifetime change to come back to F1 and work with 1 of the best teams to do great things, and instead getting on with the tasks he has been busy yelling “Don’t talk to me while I’m cornering” and walking away when the steering doesn’t fit him when really he should have just stuck with it, doing the laps that the team needs to get crucial info.

            Number of races RAI has started this year: 16/16. Number of races he has finished this year: 15/16. Number of finishes in points this year: 14/16. No matter how you feel about him or his antics personally, you can hardly accuse him of not having done his job. And don’t tell me Lotus didn’t know *exactly* who they were hiring when they signed RAI, promotional buffoonery and all. Although I sympathize with the team’s situation, this is all part of the deal Lotus is now dishonoring. You just can’t have the cake and eat it.

          2. jsw11984 (@jarred-walmsley)
            3rd November 2013, 6:05

            @tvm Except he was supposed to be paid his salary in equal portions, therefore he hasn’t been paid for 89% (end of Abu Dhabi) of his work completed. Thats 89% of his salary that was due at certain dates that hasn’t been paid.

            I sense you despise Raikkonen for how he acts and fair enough, you don’t like the man. I can’t stand Hamilton, but if he was in this situation I would say exactly the same things as I am about Raikkonen who I happen to quite like.

            You need to see that this is a serious issue irrespective of the fact it was Kimi, imagine it was your favourite driver in this situation, I doubt you’d be saying the same things you are now.

  26. A F1 driver on strike! That’s not something you see every day. :)

    If I were paranoid, I would say he has made a shady deal with Ferrari to prevent Lotus from passing the italian team in the standings by not driving for them…

  27. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    1st November 2013, 19:04

    2 races without Kimi? Hey Boullier listen to me!!!!!!!!!!! Give the car to Maldonado one race, and to Hulkenberg on the other. The best of them both gets the contract for next year. If they want to be unpaid of course.

    1. good idea!

    2. It’s a no-brainer… THE HULK all the way

    3. The point is that Maldonado comes along better than unpaid, in financial terms at least.
      Even if they pay Hulk zero, even if he agreed to do it for absolutely nothing, they’d be somewhere in the region of €40M better off with Maldonado.

      Caveat: I’m not including any potential points difference, cost of replacing written off F1 cars or potential developmental input.

      1. That’s a big caveat. Hulk’s point haul vs “bad present’s” (MAL= bad donado=Gift?) and the extra cost of making more carbon fibre for him = Hulk more than makes up for any amount of money left (probably marginal) in the PDVSA coffer after the big scandal in Venezuela.

  28. I said when Lotus announced that they had signed Kimi that their limited resources would have been better spent on developing the car than paying a driver’s salary. Now it seems they’ve had the best of both worlds.

    There’s no denying that Kimi’s time with Lotus has largely been a success, and car development hasn’t really suffered, but clearly the team is in a difficult situation financially and owing their lead driver millions of Euros isn’t exactly helping matters.

    I wonder if Lotus were hoping Raikkonen unilaterally wouldn’t turn up for Abu Dhabi (he says he considered it after India) so that they could claim breach of contract and get out of some of their financial obligations?

    1. @red-andy

      they could claim breach of contract and get out of some of their financial obligations

      Kinda difficult to claim breach of contract when you haven’t been paying your employee.

  29. Agree with Keith Collantine that it’s shocking that a team which could realistically finish as the second best team in Formula 1 (from a points standing view) does not yet have enough money to pay one of their drivers.

    Is this really a case of simply not having a lucrative enough sponsorship deal? If true, that also is a shame. And confusing for me. Lotus have already had a major upswing in performance since 2012. Why a large company wouldn’t want to be a major sponsor for a popular and sleek looking team with one of if not THE most popular driver on the grid in Raikkonen maybe speak more about the economic climate then we thought. Or maybe interest in Formula 1 sponsorship is down, although I haven’t read any such stories.

    Lotus just need a hip a colorful cigarette company to change their entire paint scheme and I’m sure they would be fine. Just as long as company doesn’t mind their product name to never even show in any country ever.

    A legitimate John Player Special branding would look spectacular! I can dream…

  30. A sad state of affairs, but I do agree that paying the team’s employees is priority over Kimi’s wages

    1. As employees, they will have 1st. claim over assets, Kimi (likely) has no such protection.

  31. Someone needs to grow up. There are so many people who would like to be in his position right now. Yeah, I get that not being paid for a year is bad, and that if any of us regular people were in the same position, we would leave our job, or whatever, but the fact is we’re not. He probably has millions in his account, not to mention he gets to race one of the best cars in the world.

    I remember reading Jenson Button’s Championship year book, which in it said that because of the financial state of the team, he had to pay for his flights, accommodation and everything like that, which cost him a lot of money, but he did it because he enjoys what he does, and realises that it’s a privilege.

    The fact of the matter is that if he helps Lotus secure second in the Championship, then he is more likely to be paid. But then again, if he doesn’t want to do it, then that’s up to him, let someone who actually appreciates the chance to drive these cars.

    1. Considering the fact that he’s done the vast majority of the races this year, I’m pretty sure he does appreciate the chance to be racing this year. If he’d left after 4 or 5 races or so then I’d possibly agree, but not when he’s done 16 (17 by the end of the weekend) out of 19.

      Lotus and Raikkonen have a contractual agreement and Lotus are not delivering their part of the deal. Raikkonen expected to be paid throughout the year for his services and Lotus haven’t held up their part of the deal, so why should Raikkonen continue to race for them? Just because Raikkonen usually earns millions every year doesn’t mean he should have to work for free for a year.

    2. Kimi has also been paying for his flights and accommodation. Kimi already renegotiated the contract last year after Lotus struggled to pay him, he did take a pay cut. Out of all of the WDC he is earning the least.

      There is of course many people who would like to drive the car, but they not going to score as much points as Kimi. That is what Lotus is paying for.

    3. @jamiefranklinf1 – “Someone needs to grow up.

      It’s a grown up world. Business owners and managers allocate resources. They contract for labor and services to enable their business to function. It was their decision to hire Kimi. It was his decision to drive 16 races without pay.

      I ran my own business for over 20 years and had to make payroll. My employees were always paid on time whether it was easy or not and whether there was anything left for me.

      The question isn’t really how much money Kimi does or does not have. We don’t really know. The answer is the contract that was offered and signed by all parties. If he had not signed with Lotus, he could have signed with another team and got paid.

      Being paid is not always just about the money. It is also recognition for your contributions. A former employer cheated myself and 20 other employees out of contracted pay we earned for every hour we worked over the previous year. The employer chose not to pay us. The fact that our contributions were deemed worthless when we put our heart and soul into our work hurt just as bad as not getting paid.

    4. Yeah and by that reasoning all drivers should drive for free or pay to drive then? Lets remember it’s the principal of the matter, and this being Raikkonnens means of earning a living. One should never take wealth for granted, as a bad investment could easily deplete Raikkonnens wealth . Just remember James Hunt and Lloyd’s. Its his right to be paid as there is a contract. I don’t get this nonsense of its a privledge to drive an F1 car so he doesn’t need to be paid, yes it’s a privledge but he is only driving in F1 because he has a rare talent to do so brilliantly that not many others have.

  32. I wonder what their justification is for paying some employees 100% of salary (presumably) and some none at all? I suppose Kimi might have offered some leeway near the start of the season, bearing in mind he can live without it, but even in that case i doubt he would have expected it to go on for the whole season. Surely they should have paid something, even a token amount to keep relations going. Whole situation seems bizarre and until this i assumed rumours of Kimi not turning up to races was just media hype.

    I hope he does turn up for the final races, and he may want to anyway since there is limited winter testing and he wouldn’t want to lose any running time over his rivals. But can understand if he doesn’t on principal, it’s an insult to anyone to not get paid, especially someone who is one of the best in the world at what he does.

    1. To answer the first line of your post, Kimi’s wages are roughly equal to around 300 employees at the factory, without those people Kimi wouldn’t have a car to race.

      I’m not making excuses for them, though I think it’s fair to assume Eric has had his chain yanked by this Infinity/Quantum deal and fully expected and intended to pay Kimi his salary.

  33. Just popped in to point out something to all those “kimi all ready has enough of money” -commentators there.

    When a top athlete makes a contract in the sporting world it’s not really an individuals salary we are talking about. Most likely Kimi has obligations towards his managers, he has personnel working for him etc. Not being paid also means the travel costs and what not falls on his organisation. These are just the basics but we get the picture. So, depending on what contracts Kimi has towards people working for him, not only is he not getting paid, he is effectively lending money Lotus. And it’s very likely counted in millions.

    So, not only his salary but also getting back all that money he’s paid out of his pocket to keep things running on his end is resting on a Lotus’ word that they will not go bankrupt.

    No one in their right minds would gamble all that money (what ever the true amount is) so, really I’m just saying, that looks like a guy who likes to race and it just stuns me how someone can consider him a whiner or the bad guy in this!

    Still, first and foremost I feel bad for Lotus. This is a no win situation for all parties, really.

  34. This is the clearest indication, if any further indication was needed, that F1 is in dire situation. Only 2 or 3 teams can continue to spend as they currently are and even those teams who can currently afford it may not be willing to do so in the future. We have seen car manufacturers come and go, what happens to Red Bull and Toro Rosso when Dietrich decides to take his money elsewhere? The rest of the grid is struggling to survive. Lotus, Sauber, Williams, Force India all are a facing a very difficult financial situation. The structure of this sport as it currently stands is not sustainable for the teams. It HAS to change. A few bankers enjoy the lions share of the revenue the sport generates and the teams fight for the crumbles, when it really should be the other way around. The teams build the cars, hire the drivers, go compete, they put on the show, why aren’t they getting properly rewarded? Not to mention race promoters all over the world getting squeezed every last penny for the benefit of FOM. It is unacceptable, something has got to give, for the good of the sport we all love.

    1. Surprise! I totally agree, wake up F1 fans, add you voice to the call for a fairer distribution of revenue, CVC want to sell (for a massive profit) they are susceptible to public opinion and potential investors need to know that the whole house of cards could collapse very soon.

  35. What a stupid, greedy, spoilt little sport this is. Quick trek from poverty stricken India over to cash-flush middle-east and suddenly nobody has enough money any more. I might start following cricket instead.

    1. It’s the same on every level of wealth the scale is just different. When i choose to buy another smartphone when the last one is fully working and just half a year old i am greedy and a materialist. It’s no different than a oil billionaire buying ten Ferraris, just the scale of spending changes. Even a poor person can be a materialist, this world presses everybody to be one. The blame for poverty can be found in every each of us. We can’t cure poverty, but we can deepen it.

  36. Chris (@tophercheese21)
    2nd November 2013, 0:22

    On the one hand I can totally see Kimi’s point of view. It’s his job, and he isn’t (currently) being paid to do it. Why should he continue if he’s not going to be paid? You wouldn’t show up to your job if you weren’t getting paid (unless you love volunteering).

    On the other hand, I’m sure Kimi has enough pennies in his piggy bank to live off comfortably for the rest of his life, and being paid on time may not play such a large role considering how much money he’s already got.
    Should he not be racing for the love of racing? Or does he only love racing if it means he gets a very handsome check in the mail on Monday morning?

  37. I think Kimi would have kept quiet was it not for the incident in India. When aren’t getting paid, you need senior management to scream at you.

    F1 needs a change the situation is becoming unattainable.

  38. Even worse: if he goes to the repo man he’ll end up with a E21 to sell.

  39. Well, he probably should attend Brazil especially, since they are testing the 2014 tyres. After all, it will probably help him next season.

    1. Good point!

    2. Yeah, but in Ferrari.
      They should swap Kimi with Massa starting… one month ago? when my crazy idea first published.

  40. think you forgot to add rant over. Totally unwarranted and senseless bashing of kimi

  41. this was meant to be a reply to another comment. deleting didn’t work

  42. This is a chance for Lotus to put the Hulk in their car for the last two races and see how good he is. I think he could score some good points and could help him secure the drive. Or they could put the Hulk for the US GP and Pastor for the Brazil GP and see whats what.

    1. I might be a bit of serious minded here, but the problem would be to get the car setup for Nico or Pastor, i don’t think three practice sessions is enough. Sauber and Williams might have a saying in this also :)

  43. I think that all of you readers know how much work the job these guys do includes. Imagine training you a** off and flying all over the world for 8 months in a row (with your own expense in this particular scenario).
    Winning with a broken back in Singapore, putting the car in positions that it didn’t deserve in many occasions, etc. I bet that every single human being in this world would do the same thing that Kimi is doing/thinking of doing at this point. It’s not that Kimi needs the money, when you make a contract with somebody, both sides should stick to it.

    1. By winning I mean’t 3rd place obviously :)

  44. Hey @keithcollantine, could you explain what is a “winding up order“? As in:

    It emerged over a weekend of febrile speculation in Abu Dhabi that Raikkonen had last week threatened Lotus with a winding-up order. Now, though, sources say that a deal has been agreed and the problem is sorted out.

    Thanks.

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