Raikkonen's Return A Risk Worth Taking

It has been a little over a month since Kimi Raikkonen’s return to Formula One was announced and the motoring world hasn’t been shy in voicing its views.

While most are supportive of the 32 year-old’s decision to get back in a single-seat racer, some are questioning whether the volatile Finn has the motivation to make his mark on a sport which has noticeably changed since his last race in 2009.

Raikkonen insists that he is motivated and in an interview with Lotus, he said it was his short stint in Nascar that reignited his passion for track racing.

“I wouldn’t come back if I wouldn’t be motivated,” said the Iceman, shortly after agreeing a two-year deal with the newly re-named Lotus F1 Team. “There’s always a lot of talk about the motivation but nobody really knows what I do or what I think apart from myself, so I don’t really care what people say. I enjoy [being able] to come back, I wouldn’t put my name in a contract if I wouldn’t think that I would really enjoy it. So it will be interesting and it will be exciting to get back.”

Fair enough, but while 18 wins, 62 podiums, 16 pole positions and one World Championship can’t be ignored, the fact that the Finn’s last season in the cockpit saw him frequently outperformed by then Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa was a slamming indictment of a man who appeared disillusioned with the sport.

Toward the end of his first career, Raikkonen was frequently criticized for his ‘party-boy’ lifestyle and rumours circled that he became bored with life in F1, the long-haul traveling becoming too tiresome for a man reportedly on $51 million per year.

While he claims that his mind is right and that he is motivated, days after agreeing a deal with Lotus, the Finn injured his hand in a snowmobiling accident, an incident which once again underlined an apparent lack of discipline and professionalism.

It’s easy to point the finger at Lotus over allowing their driver to engage in such activities, especially following the career-threatening injuries suffered by Robert Kubica, but Raikkonen needs to take a modicum of responsibility.

However, his personal motivation aside, Raikkonen’s return can only be a good thing.

Come March, the field will be made up of six world champions and, even if Raikkonen isn’t driving for one of the ‘big boys’ of F1, you know he will still have the raw pace that saw him elevated to Championship status in 2007.

For the Lotus F1 team, his presence allows them to progress with a driver who has the attributes and talent to elevate their car to the levels they would expect, something which Vitaly Petrov and Nick Heidfeld simply failed to do last year.

Finally, Raikkonen will bring an injection of character to F1.With the brilliant Sebastian Vettel threatening to become the Michael Schumacher of the new generation, there are fears that the sport could become sanitized by the ‘boring but brilliant’ brigade.

Whether you agree or disagree with his off-track endeavours, Raikkonen's monosyllabic tones will definitely bring that bit of mysticism back to the track.

Read more blogs and articles by Simon Knights here. Follow Simon Knights on Twitter @SimonKnights