I didn't think the relationship between Kimi and Lotus could get much worse.. But it certainly did today. And another several races aren't going to help matters.
Kimi's responses are very diplomatic as always. I still believe the plan was for a 2-stop strategy with the possibility of switching to a 1-stop. But overall, that was a very poorly planned strategy.
Red Bull and Vettel proved they not only have the fastest car, but the best strategists on the pit wall. Kimi would have finished P4 at worse IMO if he followed Vettel's strategy
a nutcase writes threats and stupidities to Permane, then we must get defensive and apologize as if we all behaved this way. no, we did not! and i'm not going to be manipulated into guilt...i think its not right to write offensive things to anybody, Kimi would be the last to want it, but an opinion can be expressed in a decent way. and from what i read, i think that Permane was really mad to just get Romain in front of Kimi, so he got out of hand by his "get the f**k out of his way". this is unacceptable and intolerable, it would be the same if called to Romain for Kimi....
i think i had it.....but teams are like that..one day you may be everything, the next day you must just get the f**k out.....
I'm so mad that I don't have Lotus on Twitter or Facebook because I can't un-follow/un-like them " title="fury" />
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I agree that Kimi shouldn't race for Lotus in the last 3 races, but why should he lose his well-earned money? And why should Kimi fans going to those races suffer because Lotus is so unprofessional? So I understand if he does race.
But If I could attend, I wouldn't go to a GP with Lotus gear on me, that's for sure.
I had a suspicion that things were starting to go downhill after Kimi announced his joining of Ferrari in and around the Singapore GP race week, but boy I did not expect things to go downhill so fast! I definitely expected some sort of chagrin/unhappiness (especially when Kimi made those comments about the financial situation at Lotus in Singapore's PC - but that's beside the point) from the higher-ups from Lotus, but not the kind of seemingly outward hostility in the kind of remarks they've been making since then.
To be fair we don't really know what the full radio communication was that transpired between Kimi and the pitwall in the leadup to the now-infamous outburst over the radio. Perhaps it's just me, but I don't always like the tone that Kimi tends to take sometimes when on the radio with his team. Still, Permane was out of line and we can be pretty certain he's not going to apologise for it any time soon. I don't think we've ever heard a team member from any other race team speak in that way before, have we? I know we've heard plenty of frustrated drivers over the radio, but if my memory serves me I don't ever remember anyone lashing out like that a la Permane today. Also, a little birdie informed me that for Alan to go on the radio with Kimi, it must probably be that Slade must have relayed the message to Kimi earlier, but maybe he ignored it, which is why Alan stepped in. I'm just wondering where Eric fits in all of this. When does he step in? He stepped in to speak to RoGro in Korea, makes me wonder why he did not step in today. Just food for thought, I really don't know how the Lotus pitwall radio hierarchy works...
As for that huge dispute that allegedly took place between Kimi and Alan outside the Lotus office/hospitality, I'm taking it with a huge bag of salt because the only source I've heard this from is from some Canal+ guy (and the article above, which content-wise sounds very similar to Canal man's tweet even though it's a different journo writing the article). If it was as loud and as huge as it was reported to be, I'm preeeeeeetty sure a lot of other F1 media folks (journos, nosey paddock people) would've picked up on it too. Maybe we'll get more news about this in the coming days, but for now I'm not really believing it. I'm more inclined to think the French media are trying to start something... but hey. that's just me! " title="" />
" title="hi" /> ladora! nice to read from you here
I never thought this Kimi-Lotus relationship would end like that " title="" /> and the season is not even over so it could get even worse.. " title="oh" />
I think Kimi was fighting there too hard, I have the feeling that he made it more dificult for Romain than for Rosberg for instance and that wasn't necessary. But I would have to watch it again to see when it started and if Kimi could have let him past earlier. Cause clearly that wasn't a very clever spot to overtake. On the next long straight he would have gone by without any dramas. Anyway I can understand the team telling him to let Gro past. But not in that way! And when people defend that with saying Kimi can take that.. yeah of course but that's not the point. That's not how you speak to your driver. maybe he thought that wouldn't get broadcast but since a few races they do and just *beep* the swearing out. I don't think that there was a message from Slade before that because Permane was asked by amus why they didn't tell Kimi earlier and he said: "We thought Kimi is intelligent enough not to defend with such old tyres against much quicker cars. With 2 seconds difference you don't put your team mate off the track. We are very disappointed by Kimi and have told him that." " title="roll" /> But at least Boullier was more diplomatic and I read he said something like that it may have been a missunderstanding that Kimi didn't expect Grosjean that quickly there. " title="dunno" /> He also said he had to calm them down on the radio.. but yeah usually only the race engineers talk with the drivers
I don't know what to think.. I can imagine that there would be a dispute between Kimi and Permane. If no other media was there who saw it and the French were maybe waiting for Grosjean there " title="dunno" /> I wonder if there will be anything from Kulta about it.
I don't agree that Kimi shouldn't race anymore. Kimi had a say in the strategy so Lotus can't be blamed alone on it.
and I was laways one defending Lotus about being fair both ways and all the stuff. No, no team Lotus any more for me, more like Team Shitus, they I don't want to know about...
i would say,Mr Permane was an epic fail today..the team...i feel sorry for them, they are in the hands of a management that could not capitalize Kimi's golden return.. " title="sad" />
pity that this management could not keep up with the efforts of the team...
Just slept 3 hours last night. Got up this morning still seething! " title="fury" /> Omg this is bad for my health! " title="ha" /> How I am going to live through this coming race weekend listening all the crap from Lotus? " title="lala" />
Thanks miezicat for the video. WIsh I could be so calm like Kimi there. " title="blink" />
I haven't gone to sleep yet, it's still Sunday for me. And yes, I'm still mad too... and its not just because of what happened today, it has been building up for quite some time now, today was just like that saying that goes something like this: "the last drop that floded the glass of water", or "La gota que derramó el vaso" (in Spanish).
Kimi Räikkönen is not the only iceman in Lotus anymore. One can hear more and more clearer from the team management's orders to Kimi that the emotions have clearly cooled - and even frozen.
Right after Kimi's Ferrari-deal was announced Kimi battled himself to 3rd position in Singapore even though he had backpains.
When I after the race asked in a friendly manner from Alan Permane what he thought about that kind of persistence from a driver who is leaving the team, his reply chilled the atmosphere at once.
Permane dismissed the question by saying that everyone did however see that Romain Grosjean was faster and that he would had beaten Kimi without the retirement.
In Korea Räikkönen overtook Grosjean and came in 2nd, although the Frenchman cried to get his position back. Eric Boullier said that he knew without asking that Kimi wouldn't had obeyed him at that point.
Now in India the team management's language had already turned vulgar. Permane snapped when Räikkönen made Grosjean's overtake so tough - and the driver paid him back the same way...
At least Lotus got what they wanted. Grosjean took a Räikkös-like 3rd podium while his teammate collected some odd points in the background like in Japan. Lotus caught Ferrari with nine points and the 3rd position is now 24 points away.
Räikkönen's race was much like his 3rd race in Lotus last year in China. There Kimi tried to hold on with worn tyres in 2nd position ahead of a long train, then when he lost the grip completely the whole row went past him. Räikkönen came in 14th.
I'm getting quite sick of Alan Permane. I've been able to tolerate his arrogant and egotistical attitude up until this point. But not anymore. Bahrain 2012 was the epitome of this mans psyche. He blamed Kimi's poor quali on Saturday and then praised HIS OWN decision to save tyres for the race. " title="roll" />
Permane doesn't know when to accept blame or give credit when it is properly due. That is not the way to run a professional organization. And his egotistical psyche was on full display for the world to see today.
I personally think the twitter comments by Permane were to deflect attention away from the true matter at hand. He failed at his Job on multiple occasions this weekend. First with a Romain on Saturday, and then with Kimi on Sunday. And then he made himself look extremely unprofessional with his emotional outburst that the world could hear loud and clear.
What he should do is admit his mistakes. But I'm not holding my breath waiting for an apology or admission of any mistakes.
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Sun Oct 27, 2013 6:13 pm
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" title="hi" /> ladora! nice to read from you here 
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" title="dunno" /> He also said he had to calm them down on the radio.. but yeah usually only the race engineers talk with the drivers
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