Fans express outrage towards Lotus

| Source: suomif1.com | iltalehti.fi | all translations courtesy of racingnerds

Angry feedback poured to Lotus team’s Facebook page after Indian GP.

A huge group of fans expressed their disappointment towards Alan Permane, who had a heated radio conversation colored with swearing words with Kimi.

Practically all fans aligned to support Kimi.

– I will follow Kimi Räikkönen’s example and leave Lotus F1 team today, a Finnish fan wrote.

– When I heard Kimi is going to Ferrari I was in shock. I wanted him to stay in Lotus. But not after this anymore. My respect for the team dropped from 100 to zero in one moment after hearing the radio conversation, another Kimi’s supporter commented.

They also wished a lot of misfortune for Lotus in the future.

– Unprofessional, a real disappointment, Permane and Lotus, enjoy all your problems next season, an Asian fan commented.

– Lotus, The Employer of year 2013. Salaries always late and employees are critisized in public by using fuck-words. What next? Kari Lampinen asked.

– Thank you, Alan Permane. A really professional way to manage drivers. A big mistake. Kimi did everything perfectly and Lotus would be nothing without him, Jani Back writes.

– Did Permane order Grosjean to “give fucking way” when Kimi was a second faster than Grosjean for five laps? Arvin Sharma asked.

– Please, give us a decent explanation why Alan swore to Kimi in the team-radio in public, Thomas Chan demanded.

Heated words exchanged after the race

Kimi’s and Permane’s exchange of words continued on the paddock

Kimi Räikkönen and Alan Permane shouted to each other in the team radio in Indian GP. The exchange of words continued in the premises after the race.

Julien Febreau posted a comment on his Twitter account according to which Räikkönen gave an earful to Permane.

– The exchange of words between Raikko and Permane in Lotus premises after the race was brilliant. Kimi was surprisingly convincing, Febreau tweeted.

Permane shouted orders to Räikkönen during the race and he ordered Räikkönen to let Romain Grosjean past. The exchange of words included lots of swearing words.

Oskari Saari: Permane crossed the line

Räikkönen has admitted in MTV3’s interview, that after his Ferrari-deal was announced some persons in the team seemed to change their attitude towards him. Yesterday Alan Permane ordered Räikkönen to give way by using swearing words. Räikkönen replied by swearing back.

– It’s easy to determine that based upon that discussion they are maybe not best friends, but one shouldn’t draw too many conclusions over that.

– I wonder over his behaviour. It’s a different thing to say firmly than to say it like he did. It lacked respect and I think he crossed the line. I believe Permane as a smart man knows himself that he overreacted once he gets time to calm down. That’s what it’s like and this is not the most serious thing in the world.

“Kimi was not fuming to Grosjean”

– In sport there is an emotional charge which sometimes boils over. It describes certain kinds of things about the current situation, but it’s not the whole picture. Kimi has mostly good relationships with people in the team who are important for him.

– One thing has to be noted; although Grosjean wondered over Kimi’s actions Kimi wasn’t angry at him. Räikkönen only said that he is racing everyone and I doubt any of this nags Grosjean in any way.

Räikkönen in transition

Räikkönen didn’t take part in Lotus-team’s photo which was taken in honor of Grosjean’s podium. That describes the situation, Räikkönen has already partly left the team.

– It’s a transition. I don’t think the atmosphere is disturbing in any way, but it’s clear that in a situation like that they sort of exclude the driver. It’s inevitable.

Lewis Hamilton was in a similar position last year when his switch from McLaren to Mercedes was announced at the end of September. He told that suddenly he didn’t get all data at his disposal and he wasn’t invited to all meetings. Saari thinks that Räikkönen’s attitude has been professional all the time and that he has proved that with his driving performances.

– Now he ran out of tyres. Otherwise Kimi would had been on the podium. The only thing he can improve is his driving in qualificationys, but it’s been like that the whole time in Lotus.

– If we start to see really bad performances then we can say that his attitude has changed, but he works like a professional. I don’t sit at their lunch table every day listening to what they talk about, but Kimi has seemed to be in a good mood on the outside and I haven’t seen any anxiety on the outside on either sides, Saari said.

Heikki Kulta’s column

Kimi Räikkönen is not the only iceman in Lotus anymore. One can hear more and more clearer from the team management’s orders to Kimi that the emotions have clearly cooled – and even frozen.

Right after Kimi’s Ferrari-deal was announced Kimi battled himself to 3rd position in Singapore even though he had backpains.

When I after the race asked in a friendly manner from Alan Permane what he thought about that kind of persistence from a driver who is leaving the team, his reply chilled the atmosphere at once.

Permane dismissed the question by saying that everyone did however see that Romain Grosjean was faster and that he would had beaten Kimi without the retirement.

In Korea Räikkönen overtook Grosjean and came in 2nd, although the Frenchman cried to get his position back. Eric Boullier said that he knew without asking that Kimi wouldn’t had obeyed him at that point.

Now in India the team management’s language had already turned vulgar. Permane snapped when Räikkönen made Grosjean’s overtake so tough – and the driver paid him back the same way…

At least Lotus got what they wanted. Grosjean took a Räikkös-like 3rd podium while his teammate collected some odd points in the background like in Japan. Lotus caught Ferrari with nine points and the 3rd position is now 24 points away.

Räikkönen’s race was much like his 3rd race in Lotus last year in China. There Kimi tried to hold on with worn tyres in 2nd position ahead of a long train, then when he lost the grip completely the whole row went past him. Räikkönen came in 14th.

At least it didn’t go that bad now.