Raikkonen fastest in final day of final testing

By Andrew BensonChief F1 writer

Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus headed Ferrari's Fernando Alonso as the Formula 1 teams completed pre-season testing in Spain.

Finn Raikkonen, 32, who returns to F1 this season after two years in rallying, set a time 0.220 seconds faster than Alonso.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was sixth fastest behind Williams's Bruno Senna, Force India's Nico Hulkenberg and Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel was slowest after a day beset by problems.

The world champion had hoped to try out the new aerodynamic package the team brought to Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya for the first time on Saturday.

But he caused a delay in the morning when he ran off the track, damaging his front wing and diffuser, and then suffered gearbox problems before lunch which kept him out of action for most of the afternoon.

Vettel managed to get out for a brief run with 10 minutes of the session remaining but completed only 22 laps throughout the day, while Hamilton, Alonso and Raikkonen all managed more than 100.

Vettel said he did not want to predict which teams were in the best shape heading to the first race in Melbourne on 18 March.

"You never really know where you are until you get to Melbourne and everyone puts their pants down and you can see what they have got and you can show what you have got in qualifying," the German said.

Asked to rate his pre-season testing out of 10, he said: "You always have things you hope were better, there are not many years you can give yourselves a 10. Overall we can be quite happy, happier than five and less than 10. Somewhere in between."

Raikkonen's lap time was the fastest of the winter and underlined the impression that his team - who have raced as Renault since 2002 - have produced a good car.

But a number of other teams have also shone occasionally.

Alonso's second fastest time belies the impression that his team are struggling, one confirmed by the Spaniard on television on Saturday evening.

On Saturday, Ferrari cancelled the news conference Alonso was scheduled to give after he had finished testing on Sunday.

But he told TV stations while attending the Barcelona v Sporting football match on Saturday evening: "In the first races we will suffer because we are not 100%."

Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn, whose driver Michael Schumacher was eighth overall, echoed the views of many in the paddock in saying that the field seemed more closely matched than for many years.

"The cars look as if they're going to be a bit closer," Brawn said. "I think we're going to have a really exciting season. It could be one of the best we've seen for a number of years."

Final pre-season test, Barcelona - final day fastest times

1 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Lotus-Renault 1:22.030

2 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari 1:22.250

3 Bruno Senna (Brz) Williams-Renault 1:22.296

4 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Force India-Mercedes 1:22.312

5 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) Sauber-Ferrari 1:22.386

6 Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 1:22.430

7 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Caterham-Renault 1:22.795

8 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes 1:22.939

9 Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Williams-Renault 1:23.347

10 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:23.393

11 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault 1:23.608

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Raikkonen fastest in final morning of final testing

Kimi Raikkonen showed more pace for Lotus as he set the quickest time of the test so far on the final morning of testing in Barcelona.

After a day disrupted by a power steering failure and rain on Saturday, Raikkonen completed 43 laps and was able to snatch top spot with a late lap on soft tyres. His time of 1:22.030 was 0.064s quicker than the previous best time set by Sergio Perez yesterday, which was also posted on softs.

Fernando Alonso gave Ferrari some late encouragement by setting the second fastest time and completing 63 laps. After the team's decision to cancel all driver interviews throughout the remainder of the weekend yesterday raised further concerns over its true position, Alonso topped the timesheets for most of the session with a 1:22.250 before Raikkonen's late lap.

Williams is splitting its drivers across the final day and Bruno Senna enjoyed a trouble-free morning, completing 53 laps on his way to third quickest in 1:22.296. Williams was even able to finish its programme early and start setting the car up for Pastor Maldonado half an hour before the lunch break.

Nico Hulkenberg was fourth quickest with a 1:22.312, but the main focus of his day will be a race simulation in the final session after he lost a lot of running on Friday afternoon with a driveline problem. He was just ahead of Kamui Kobayashi who spent most of the morning doing setup work and was 0.074s slower than Hulkenberg with a lap on supersoft tyres.

McLaren had a more productive day with its new package than Saturday, with Lewis Hamilton completing 60 laps and setting a best time just 0.4s slower than Raikkonen. Hamilton has already completed more mileage than team-mate Jenson Button managed with the upgraded car, and will spend the afternoon trying to find its optimal setup.

Vitaly Petrov received his new seat for the CT01 this weekend and ended the session seventh with a 1:22.795, just 0.1s slower than team-mate Heikki Kovalainen managed yesterday as Caterham again ran the supersofts. Michael Schumacher was eighth quickest with his best time set on soft tyres in the final half hour, 0.4s ahead of Daniel Ricciardo.

It was a difficult morning for Red Bull, however, as Sebastian Vettel only completed 15 laps. While early attention was attracted by umbrellas covering the rear of the car, when Vettel went out for his first run something appeared to fall off the front of the RB8 on the pit straight. The team aborted and Vettel didn't reappear until the final hour and a quarter of the session, completing two further short runs.

Times

	Driver	Car	Time	Laps
1.	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus E20	1:22.030	41
2.	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari F2012	1:22.250	63
3.	Bruno Senna	Williams FW34	1:22.296	53
4.	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India VJM05	1:22.312	45
5.	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber C31	1:22.386	57
6.	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren MP4-27	1:22.430	60
7.	Vitaly Petrov	Caterham CT01	1:22.795	43
8.	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes W03	1:22.939	57
9.	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso STR7	1:23.393	53
10.	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull RB8	1:23.608	15

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Chris Medland is assistant editor at ESPNF1

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Raikkonen buoyed by early Jerez Lotus boost

Kimi Raikkonen says that topping the first day of pre-season testing means less to him than the 'positive' first sensations he received from the new Lotus E20 and Pirelli's soft and medium tyre compounds that he tried for the first time at Jerez.

The 2007 world champion played down his headline-grabbing fastest time at the Spanish circuit after ending up 0.1s faster than Paul di Resta's Force India, having completed 73 laps on a relatively trouble-free day.

"It makes no difference," he said when asked how it felt to be quickest on his return to contemporary F1 action. "I mean it's the first day, and it would make a difference if it were a race weekend, but here it means nothing."

But the Finn said that the information he gained using 2012-spec equipment and proper race tyres - as opposed to the demo rubber he had used prior to Tuesday's official running - was hugely valuable as he continued to reacclimatise to the sport.


"The feeling is pretty OK with the car and for sure I've had much worse first days and worse feelings with new cars," he added. "I was quite happy with it."

"The feeling was pretty good with the car. The first feeling is handling quite nicely so... just going with that feeling I'm quite happy, but there are areas that we can improve and that we have to improve. I'm positive about it."

Raikkonen completed 60 laps before the team broke for lunch, and during that morning he completed four stints culminating in a 1m19.670s lap – faster than Rubens Barrichello's best overall time of 2011.

And while Lotus's afternoon was interrupted by the need to change a KERS battery, Raikkonen said he was pleased with the ground he had covered on the first day.

"I did exactly what the team were planning, or not exactly because we missed a few laps when we had a small issue," he said. "We tried different things, we did a few checks.

"But we did also quite a lot of the normal things you have to do on a first day yesterday, so that was a help to get rid of those. But it was a pretty normal first day."

Raikkonen added that he had been pleased with how the tyres had felt: "They are what they are and you try to get the best out of them.

"When they are new they seem to be pretty nice tyres. Of course they probably go away more than in the past, but it's the same for everybody and in a long run you try to save them as much as you can and get the best out of it."

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Raikkonen impresses Lotus in Valencia

Kimi Raikkonen impressed Lotus team principal Eric Boullier with his performance on the first day of his private test at Valencia.

Returning to the sport after a two-year absence, Raikkonen is undertaking two days of running in a Renault R30 to reacclimatise to a Formula One car. Following the first day at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Boullier said that Raikkonen had already displayed good feedback to the team despite the car and tyres being of little relevance ahead of the new season.

"I must say today was very positive," Boullier said. "You can see that the whole team is pleased with Kimi's feedback, and Kimi himself seemed very happy to be back behind the wheel. He got the feel of the car very quickly and it's good to see him building a strong relationship with the team.

"Obviously, the R30 is different to the new car, but he is clearly excited to get started at the first test in Jerez. Our team is made up of true racing people, and Kimi fits into that very well."

Director of trackside operations Alan Permane said that Raikkonen had also displayed professionalism to go with his speed and that he was encouraged for the year ahead.

"The day went pretty much as we planned, which is great," Permane said. "Kimi was on the pace we expected straight away. He completed around 300km, going through three sets of tyres. It leaves us with four sets for tomorrow, meaning we can run a bit longer. We worked on getting him comfortable in the car, giving him a feel for the setup changes, and helping him get to know his engineers.

"It's always great to work with a top driver who is not just quick, but professional, and Kimi has all of those characteristics. His feedback is excellent, his requests are concise and to the point. We're looking forward to a good season with him."

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Raikkonen to test R30 in January

Lotus (formerly Renault) has confirmed that Kimi Raikkonen will drive one of its R30's in January to reacquaint himself with a Formula One car.

Having been named as a Lotus driver for the 2012 season back in December, Raikkonen admitted that he hoped to spend some time in a car before the first test having not raced in Formula One for two years. At the time he said: "We don't test the new car until February, so it's a long wait. However, I should be able to jump into a two-year-old F1 car in January."

With rules permitting teams to run cars from two seasons ago on demo-spec tyres, Lotus confirmed on Twitter that Raikkonen would get time in the 2010 car.

"We can now confirm that Kimi Raikkonen will be completing some mileage in the team's R30 car at Valencia on 23rd/24th January!"

Valencia's Ricardo Tormo circuit is not being used for winter testing this season. The first pre-season test takes place at Jerez on February 7-10, with the subsequent two tests being held at Barcelona.

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Raikkonen ignoring comeback critics

Kimi Raikkonen says that any negative comments about his return to Formula One have "no effect" on him.

After two years away from the sport Raikkonen will return with Lotus (formerly Renault) this season. Following a seat fitting for the team, Raikkonen told the official Lotus Renault website that he doesn't pay attention to any comments - positive or negative - because he isn't interested in other opinions as long as he is happy.

"It has no effect on me," Raikkonen said. "Sometimes you hear some nonsense and sometimes you hear nice things. The main thing is that coming back is what I wanted and I have a good opportunity with the team so I'm happy. I have never really looked at what people say or think. I do my own thing and as long as I'm happy with it then that's the main thing for me."

Raikkonen also said that he was pleased to be back and involved with the pre-season preparations.

"There has been quite a bit of noise in the press about my comeback and there have been a lot of rumours. For me, coming back to Formula 1 is a good thing and I hope it will be for the team and the fans also! I love this time of the year at the factory. There's a real buzz surrounding the new car, every single department is working flat out in order to have everything ready on time. You can really feel people's dedication and it's nice to be a part of it."

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Hill believes Raikkonen can be champion again

Damon Hill believes Kimi Raikkonen has "a couple more world championships" in him, and reckons returning to the sport at the age of 32 should not be a problem for the Finn.

Raikkonen left Formula 1 at the end of the 2009 season to compete in the World Rally Championship, but he will make his comeback next year after signing a two-year deal with the Lotus Renault team.

Raikkonen, regarded as one of the quickest drivers of his era, won the title in 2007 with Ferrari and has 18 grand prix victories to his name.

Former world champion Hill thinks Raikkonen's return is good for Formula 1, and he believes the Finn can still be champion again.

"It is great - and good luck to him," Hill told AUTOSPORT. "He is going to have to show that he has still got it, which he has got a good team to show that in, and he is still young.

"He has won a world championship already, and I had only just got into F1 at his age, so he has definitely got a couple of more world championships in him."

Hill, who retired from the sport at the end of the 1999 season, said he would also like to see a "titanic" battle for the titles next year, the Briton hoping Red Bull's rivals can push the team harder in 2012 after a dominant 2011.

"We want to see someone upset the applecart, although I think Adrian [Newey] is fantastic, and [Sebastian] Vettel, [Mark] Webber and Red Bull Racing is a great team at the front - and they seem to be fun loving," he said.

"It is good to have that - but I know that they want to fight for it. They don't want it too easy. So a good titanic battle between three top teams would be fantastic to see."

Hill, however, said that despite Sebastian Vettel's dominance, the past season was thrilling.

He feels 2011 showed Formula 1 is in good shape, but he stressed the need to recognise the importance Europe has for the sport.

"Yes, I thought it was very exciting. It was a brilliant season. The sport is good, but there is still a lot that needs discussing. It is fantastic entertainment, but I just know that Europe and Great Britain is important to the sport.

"I think that is worth emphasising – it is not all about the bottom line. It is about going to place where people understand and appreciate the sport and they should not be denied access to it."

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'The order could be shaken up in 2012' - Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen: "I am more motivated than

ever and I don't think I've lost any speed" © Getty Images

Kimi Raikkonen reckons regulation changes could shake up the order when he makes his return to Formula One next year.

Raikkonen will drive for Renault (soon to be renamed Lotus) in 2012 after two years competing in the World Rally Championship. His comeback coincides with some relatively small changes to the regulations, mainly regarding exhaust positioning, but Raikkonen is hoping they will make a significant difference.

"Although the technical regulations don't seem to change much, they apply to a lot of areas and quite a few elements will have to be re-designed," he told Renault's official website. "As a result, the cars will be significantly different next year. The order could be shaken up, which will make things very interesting."

Raikkonen added: "I am more motivated than ever and I don't think I've lost any speed. Getting on top of the tyres will be the hardest thing, of course, but I'm not really worried."

Raikkonen said he will be training hard over the Christmas break and revealed that he plans to test a 2009-spec Renault in January in order to prepare for the first official pre-season test in early February.

"We don't test the new car until February so it's a long wait," he said. "However, I should be able to jump into a two-year-old F1 car in January. Of course, there will be the usual training, but I will also be working on getting to know the team better and making sure I fully understand all the changes since I have been away."

And Raikkonen played down his recent snowmobile accident in Austria.

"I was surprised by how much attention there was over me falling off a snowmobile," he added. "You can watch what happened on YouTube and it was probably the smallest and slowest crash I've ever had. It is almost embarrassing! I won a snowmobile race right before the start of the 2007 season and that year didn't go badly for me so who knows?"

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Raikkonen fall fails to dampen Snow Mobile 2011

There were no doubt a few anxious moments among senior management at Renault on Saturday as news came that their new star signing, Kimi Raikkonen, had fallen off a snow mobile.

Thankfully it was nothing more than sore wrist, and the Finn was able to watch on as colleagues from the F1 fraternity enjoyed the glamour of this weekend’s Snow Mobile 2011 competition at Saalbach Hinterglemm in Austria.

Among the racers more used to four wheels taking part were Christian Klien, Nick Heidfeld, Sakon Yamamoto, Niko Hulkenberg, Patrick Friesacher, Keke Rosberg, Timo Scheider, and from the world of two wheels, Heinz Kinigadner, Manfred Stohl, Kris Rosenberger and Mat Rebeaud.

The weekend began with Friday’s ‘Almdudler Night Rider’ official welcome party amid the rustic charm of the luxury Hotel Alpine Palace. Dress code for the male participants was traditional Austrian Lederhosen, and Dirndl for the females, making for a unique atmosphere as German rap star Sido provided the musical entertainment for the mountain bash.

On Saturday the snow-covered village houses and Christmas lights served as a picturesque backdrop to the roaring engines of the snow mobiles as the 0.85-kilometre course witnessed some spectacular race action. Training, qualification and first heats had to be successfully completed before the teams for the evening’s final race could be announced.

Slushy snow on the track and the narrow turns were the main challenges for the 24 teams. The daredevil riders provided an enthusiastic audience of 20,000 spectators with some heroic action and numerous - but harmless - crashes. It all came down to the ‘Battle of Champions’ - 14 teams, each made up of two professional riders and one celebrity, going head to head for the weekend’s ultimate prize.

After 49 laps and five spectacular rider changes the Ebner Event Logistics team emerged victorious, captain Manfred Ebner leading his men to glory ahead of 2008 and 2010 winners, Uniqa Fresacher Racing, with Team 3 powered by Sony Ericsson in third place. And a special performance from Danish singer Aura Dione provided the perfect ending to this special sporting event.

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Raikkonen escapes injury after snowmobile accident

Renault says Kimi Raikkonen did not suffer any serious harm when he crashed in a snow mobile race in Austria today.

The Formula 1 returnee was reported to have fallen on an early run in the event and suffered pain from his left wrist, ruling him out of the rest of the weekend.

But the Renault team has issued a message via itsTwitter feed underlining that Raikkonen was largely unscathed.

"We just spoke to Kimi," it read. "There's nothing to worry about, he only has a sore wrist. He might have it checked again on Monday, but that's all."

Renault announced last week that it had enticed Raikkonen back to F1 for 2012 after a two-year stint in the World Rally Championship, and has since promoted Romain Grosjean from the third driver role to become his team-mate. The team will run as Lotus from next season.

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Raikkonen 'very important' for Renault

Renault owner Gerard Lopez says that Kimi Raikkonen's acquisition is "one of the very important steps" to make the team more competitive.

After it was announced earlier this week that Raikkonen would be returning to Formula One to join the team on a two year deal, the lack of a second driver on the FIA entry list confirmed that Vitaly Petrov's future was uncertain. With Nick Heidfeld and Bruno Senna also having driven for the team this year, Lopez said that Raikkonen's ability would help improve the performance of the 2012 car.

"I think we decided that we had to look forward in terms of performance and the key way to see how good a car is, is to have a good driver," Lopez said. "Kimi has proven in the past that he is among the fastest and in terms of age he's still in his prime.

"In terms of motivation from what I have seen and spoken to him, he is probably as motivated as ever. And the more people question the better it is because it is going to increase his motivation even more to prove that they are wrong. I'm excited that he is here because I think it's one of the very important steps in getting the team to where we want it to be - which is one of the top teams in Formula 1…"

Despite a lot of interest surrounding his return, Raikkonen said that he hadn't been paying attention to the coverage and that it would not add any extra pressure.

"It is my first time in Enstone so it is very nice to see the factory - it feels good," Raikkonen said. "It is a very warm feeling and I'm very relaxed. I haven't really read the newspapers about all the excitement but it is quite normal, isn't it? It doesn't put any more pressure on me. I always try to do my best, so I don't put myself under pressure. It will be exciting, yes, but no pressure really and we will see how it goes."

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'We convinced Kimi to come back' - Boullier

Renault team principal Eric Boullier believes his team's potential convinced Kimi Raikkonen to return to Formula One.

The 2007 world champion has signed a two-year deal with the team that will see him return to the sport after a two-year absence. Boullier said the news was positive for the team and proof that it was on the right track for the future.

"It is good news for the sport and of course it is good news for the team," Boullier said. "Strategically, it is good to have a big name, a high class driver and Formula One world champion to join us. He is committed to racing for us and he is definitely a very good character with the experience he has from driving for McLaren and Ferrari. Also, to have someone like Kimi signing with us shows that the package we have offered was good enough - we convinced Kimi to come back to Formula One!"

Raikkonen is adamant he has the motivation to make a successful comeback, but said his two biggest challenges for 2012 would be learning to use the Pirelli tyres and building up his neck muscles. There will be just three four-day tests ahead of the start of the season, but Boullier said Raikkonen will be able to hone his skills and fitness using the team's new simulator and a some runs in a 2009-spec car.

"First of all, in not so long we will have our simulator ready - this is good news for him and for us," he added. "I think that we will also be able to plan a couple of days with the demo car."

Boullier said Renault has plenty to be optimistic about heading into the winter break and that it would be bolstering its team ahead of next season.

"There are many things that the team will announce soon, in the coming weeks and the coming months," he said. "Let's not forget that the team's current identity is only a couple of years old and it is clear that we have made some strategic investments like the wind tunnel, like the CFD pole and like the building of the simulator- it will be a state of the art simulator.

"We are also in the process to reinforce our team with the recruitment of some key people, some of them have already joined us and some are to be announced soon but we can't say too much at this stage as some of them are currently on gardening leave.

"Next year, we will also have an upgrade of our facilities trackside, in fact it is going to be a complete change with a new engineers truck, a new infrastructure for the team garage, which of course will also have an impact on our image and obviously Kimi joining us is a big step in reinforcing the investment Genii Capital is putting in the team at every level."

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Raikkonen returns with Lotus Renault in 2012

Lotus Renault has confirmed that Kimi Raikkonen will return to Formula One in 2012 after the 2007 World Champion signed a two-year contract with the team.

Raikkonen had previously been linked with a drive at Williams after displaying an interest to return to the sport he left in 2009. However, after Robert Kubica confirmed that he was not going to be fit to return by the start of 2012, Lotus Renault has moved to secure Raikkonen's services as its lead driver. Having pursued a rallying career since leaving Formula One, Raikkonen said that it had been clear that he wanted to return for some time.

"I'm delighted to be coming back to Formula 1 after a two-year break, and I'm grateful to Lotus Renault GP for offering me this opportunity," Raikkonen said. "My time in the World Rally Championship has been a useful stage in my career as a driver, but I can't deny the fact that my hunger for F1 has recently become overwhelming. It was an easy choice to return with Lotus Renault GP as I have been impressed by the scope of the team's ambition. Now I'm looking forward to playing an important role in pushing the team to the very front of the grid."

With Raikkonen having taken 18 grand prix victories in his career to date, chairman of Lotus Renault owners Genii Capital, Gerard Lopez, said that he was looking forward to having a world champion in the team.

"All year long, we kept saying that our team was at the start of a brand new cycle," Lopez said. "Backstage we've been working hard to build the foundations of a successful structure and to ensure that we would soon be able to fight at the highest level. Kimi's decision to come back to Formula 1 with us is the first step of several announcements which should turn us into an even more serious contender in the future. Of course, we are all looking forward to working with a world champion. On behalf of our staff, I'd like to welcome Kimi to Enstone, a setting that has always been known for its human approach to Formula 1."

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Kimi Raikkonen Interview;

No agreement yet - Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen says he has not got an agreement in place with Williams, but admits he has been negotiating with the team over a potential return to Formula One.

Rumours linking Raikkonen with a return to the sport he left in 2009 had been growing until Williams shareholder Toto Wolff confirmed that talks were taking place. At the time Wolff said Raikkonen was one of a number of options, and Raikkonen has confirmed he had spoken to the team but said he was still undecided on what he would do next season.

"We have been talking with them (Williams)," Raikkonen is quoted by Turun Sanomat. "But I do not have any agreement in any direction. Nothing has changed."

Raikkonen also said that it would not take him too long to readjust to Formula One if he was to make a return, with the Pirelli tyres highlighted as the most obvious difference.

"It is the thing I have done most of my life. Much more challenging would be to try to do something else ... From what you can see on TV, no (not much has changed). The main difference is the tyres."

If Raikkonen was to join Williams it would be Rubens Barrichello who would miss out, but Pastor Maldonado believes that the current line-up is one of the strongest on the grid.

"The season might not have been great but I believe, at Williams, we have one of the best driver pairings in F1," Maldonado told The National. "Unfortunately, the car is not competitive but, to have Rubens as a teammate, for me, is great because he has helped me with everything. He's an incredibly talented driver and is still so incredibly motivated. He's helped me to improve my time and technique out there."

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Williams confirms Raikkonen talks

Williams shareholder Toto Wolff has confirmed that the team is negotiating with Kimi Raikkonen over a potential return to Formula One.

Rumours have been rife for a number of weeks that Raikkonen was keen on a move back to the sport having not raced since leaving Ferrari at the end of 2009. In that time he has tried his hand at rallying and NASCAR, but Williams appears to be the most likely destination for a return in 2012.

Team chairman Adam Parr admitted in India that Raikkonen would be a good fit for the team as it looks to rebuild after a poor season, and Wolff has now said that talks are ongoing with the 2007 world champion, as well as Ferrari reserve driver Jules Bianchi.

"Yes, it's true," Wolff told Kronen Zeitung. "The Kimi Raikkonen file is on the table. The story is not for show, we are negotiating seriously, but it is only one of several options. There will be a strategic decision.

"But there is another aggressive option with the boy Jules Bianchi, and Valtteri Bottas is worthy of consideration at least for Friday's practice."

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