F1: Raikkonen Unfazed By Comeback Criticism

Formula 1

F1: Raikkonen Unfazed By Comeback Criticism

Kimi Raikkonen is looking forward to his return to the Formula One grid...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted January 05, 2012 Balen (BEL)

Kimi Raikkonen won a World Championship in 2007. (Photo: Getty Images)

Kimi Raikkonen says he is unfazed by criticism of his F1 comeback with Lotus this year.

The Finn, who was at the team’s factory Thursday for a seat fitting, says that the important thing is that he is happy with what he’s doing.

“It has no effect on me,” said Raikkonen in a Q&A on the team website. “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.

“There has been quite a bit of noise in the press about my comeback and there have been a lot of rumors. For me, coming back to Formula One 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.”

Although he briefly tried the cockpit on a previous factory visit, Thursday's seat fitting was the first time that the former World Champion has properly sat in a F1 car – with a helmet – since the 2009 Abu Dhabi GP.

“It felt a bit odd at first because the cockpit seems a bit small, but that’s normal," he said. "It’s just like in the past when I have done seat fittings – it feels a bit strange when you first step into the car but you quickly adjust. It will be nice to get back to racing.”

Adam Cooper notched up his 26th season as a racing journalist in 2010. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.