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Adapted from GMM
Kimi Raikkonen on Friday said he is unwilling to even talk with Lotus about 2014 until certain issues are cleared up.
"They (Lotus) know exactly what they have to do first, and then we are open to talk," he said.
Undoubtedly, the inimitable and unforthcoming Raikkonen was uncomfortable and annoyed as the media spotlight burned brightly. But he did little to assuage suspicions his Thursday illness was a form of boycott because Lotus is behind on paying him.
"Yeah, fine," he said when reporters asked if he had returned to health.
"There's always reasons for things. I don't have to tell."
Meanwhile, team owner Gerard Lopez was playing down reports of financial strife at Lotus.
Reportedly in debt to the tune of EUR 120 million and with the new Infinity Racing investment in doubt, Lopez insisted at Spa-Francorchamps that Lotus is in fact in good health.
Indeed, some believe the team's debt is actually just 28 million.
"It is 120 million," Lopez confirmed to Auto Motor und Sport, "but four-fifths of it we owe to ourselves, to Genii, because we do not sponsor the team but finance it through loans."
He said, therefore, that Genii is not going to urgently demand Lotus pay it back.
"First of all I want to ensure that the team continues to be well funded. Whether we get the money back now or later, we have to see.
"We continue to look for partners to join the team. It's not about getting money back quickly now."
Lopez insisted that is precisely why Lotus does not have a title sponsor at the moment.
"We could have signed a cheap contract," he said. "But we think from the performance point of view, we need a sponsor who pays really well.
"We don't want to sign something now for three, four, five years that we will regret later."
Kimi Raikkonen on Friday said he is unwilling to even talk with Lotus about 2014 until certain issues are cleared up.
"They (Lotus) know exactly what they have to do first, and then we are open to talk," he said.
Undoubtedly, the inimitable and unforthcoming Raikkonen was uncomfortable and annoyed as the media spotlight burned brightly. But he did little to assuage suspicions his Thursday illness was a form of boycott because Lotus is behind on paying him.
"Yeah, fine," he said when reporters asked if he had returned to health.
"There's always reasons for things. I don't have to tell."
Meanwhile, team owner Gerard Lopez was playing down reports of financial strife at Lotus.
Reportedly in debt to the tune of EUR 120 million and with the new Infinity Racing investment in doubt, Lopez insisted at Spa-Francorchamps that Lotus is in fact in good health.
Indeed, some believe the team's debt is actually just 28 million.
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| Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus E21 (Photo: WRi2) |
"It is 120 million," Lopez confirmed to Auto Motor und Sport, "but four-fifths of it we owe to ourselves, to Genii, because we do not sponsor the team but finance it through loans."
He said, therefore, that Genii is not going to urgently demand Lotus pay it back.
"First of all I want to ensure that the team continues to be well funded. Whether we get the money back now or later, we have to see.
"We continue to look for partners to join the team. It's not about getting money back quickly now."
Lopez insisted that is precisely why Lotus does not have a title sponsor at the moment.
"We could have signed a cheap contract," he said. "But we think from the performance point of view, we need a sponsor who pays really well.
"We don't want to sign something now for three, four, five years that we will regret later."