Kimi's long rum pace was also great, he could really have been competitive.
He has to start from the pitlane now, his car is one of the cars with the least straight line speed. In the meantime a lot of drivers were qualifying with all of their tyres off the circuit, and yet nothing happens to these drivers. It really sucks.
quoteAbu Dhabi GP: Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus excluded from qualifying
Kimi Raikkonen has been excluded from qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix following a front floor deflection test failure.
Representatives of his Lotus team were summoned to see the race stewards in Abu Dhabi after it was found that Raikkonen's car did not conform to the regulations.
The left hand side of the floor was found to deflect more than the permitted 5mm vertically when the testing load was applied to it.
Investigations by Lotus found that the issue had been caused by a broken floor due to kerb damage, but the stewards did not accept the explanation.
He has been excluded from qualifying but will be allowed to start from the back of the grid.
FIA REJECTS TEAM EXPLANATION
A statement issued by the FIA said: "The stewards heard the explanation of the team that the relevant part broke upon contact with a kerb.
"However, the stewards did not accept that the incident referred to constituted an accident, or excused failing the relevant test."
AUTOSPORT understands that the stewards did not accept the explanation because Romain Grosjean's car had suffered a similar problem in Hungary earlier this year, when he escaped a penalty after hitting a kerb.
While a one-off event like that could be put down to misfortune, the stewards felt that modifications should have been made to the car to ensure that there was no repeat event.
Raikkonen's penalty means that he will not be able to take up his best grid slot since the German Grand Prix in July, having qualified fifth.
For the Abu Dhabi weekend Raikkonen has reverted to the shorter wheelbase version of the E21 after feeling that the longer version did not suit his driving style.
"We wanted to do it in previous races already but some races we could not," said the Finn. "I was told it was maybe an area where I can get the car like I want, so it has been OK.
"I think it doesn't need to be a big change, but if you get the front end as I like it, then I can drive normally and everything comes more to like it should be. At least here today was not too bad."
finally and after this hurricane Kimi gets a car more to his liking...after quali he looks so exhausted and drained though...and then, this!!!!!!!!!!! i dont know what the team did about it...i mean was it at the edge of regulations and just decided to go on but just got caught? was it an existing problem that was just not fixed? and it had to happen to Kimi at this very moment??? S**ttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh, by the way, not really important, but: "Moving camera has been relocated from Alonso's car to Raikkonen's. Ferrari not happy with 'aerodynamic results' of having the camera onboard"
Heikki Kulta wrote interestingly, Kimi sticking with his SWB car made Romains day a much more diffucult. Romain has often followed the way Kimi set ups his car and now he didnt have any help from Kimi. About SWB car, maybe Lotus just didnt focus on SWB car anymore, because they changed to LWB . Maybe they didnt think it was neseccary to repair the floor. Oskari Saari in MTV3 was even speculating if Lotus organized this, he said its easy to do it, but then he said he doesnt believe in it. I say, maybe they forgot the whole issue.
quoteBernie Ecclestone backs Kimi Raikkonen in strike threat over not being paid
Raikkonen claims he has been paid “zero euros” for an entire season and will not turn up for the final two rounds in Austin and Sao Paulo
Bernie Ecclestone has backed Kimi Raikkonen’s threat to walk out on Lotus over not being paid.
And ex-champion Jacques Villeneuve has waded into the row and accused Lotus bosses of “taking the p***”.
Raikkonen claims he has been paid “zero euros” for an entire season and will not turn up for the final two rounds in Austin and Sao Paulo unless he gets cast iron financial guarantees.
Lotus have been hamstrung because they agreed a bonus system built on points and Raikkonen has gone on a record-breaking finishing streak, including two wins, that his salary has rocketed to a staggering £17million – more than new champion Sebastian Vettel.
Ahead of today’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix the popular Finn got the public backing of the sport’s most powerful figure.
“He has signed a contract with somebody and they need to pay him,” said billionaire Ecclestone.
“I feel sorry for him but he should have been a little more sensible when he signed the contract and know what he was signing for.
“If he drove for me, I’d have paid him.”
But Ecclestone, who dishes out the hundreds of millions in prize money each season, has refused to intervene.
“No, it’s not a worry for the sport,” Ecclestone added.
“If he wants to stand down for a couple of races, that’s up to him. He knows the consequences of that.”
Paddock sources have made it clear to Sunday Mirror Sport Raikkonen’s threat is not an idle one.
He almost didn’t race here today and an inflexible line has been drawn in the sand in the days leading up to the next round in America on November 17 if the team wants to see him in Texas.
With Lotus battling for second place in the constructors championship which will be worth tens of millions more in prize money the Enstone operation surely cannot afford to be without their ace racer.
And Villeneuve, world champion in 1997, said: “If that had been me I don’t know I would have been so patient.
“They were right to tell him to get out the way for Grosjean but not use that language. He has been doing a fantastic job for them. And who would have kept on working all this time without being paid?
“People are saying he should be doing it for the passion alone but he is a professional racing driver. It’s his job.
“If I was him I definitely wouldn’t be going to Austin or Sao Paulo if I wasn’t paid.”
Lotus boss Eric Boullier said overlord Gerard Lopez was waiting on money from new investors.
quoteF1PitRadio @F1PitRadio 17m Dearest Kimi, Please speak loud & clear after you swear on the radio. I can barely tell what the fuck you're saying. Regards, F1PitRadio
So sad all this is, this post is funny
Paper is dead without words Ink idle without a poem All the world dead without stories Without love and disarming beauty