The 2007 Formula 1 World Champion, and all around cool guy, Kimi Raikkonen enjoyed a great comeback season this year. His return to F1 after retirement was more successful than Schumi’s, partly because he’s young – and Schumacher isn’t – and partly because there wasn’t any pressure on him to do good. Now Lotus announced, releasing a nostalgic video, that they’ve renewed Kimi’s contract for 2013.

Kimi is not only doing great for Lotus F1 technically, his image is great publicity for the team. Not that long ago he secured a major sponsorship deal. He keeps it up for another year, and who knows, maybe we see him in a big team again.

Kimi Räikkönen:
“I think my return to Formula 1 has gone pretty well and the team has done a very good job all year so far. To be honest, I didn’t expect to be fighting for the Drivers’ Championship this season when you look at where the team was in 2011, so it has been great to be on the podium so many times and to score points on a regular basis. I feel very comfortable with Lotus F1 Team and we share the same philosophy of racing. Continuing with the team was an obvious choice for me and I’m looking forward to making another step forward together next year.”

Eric Boullier, Team Principal:
“Kimi has made an exceptional comeback to Formula 1. From the first time he sat in the car this year it was clear he had lost none of his pace or technical feedback and we have been rewarded by a focused and motivated driver all season. For Lotus F1 Team to be fighting for such strong championship positions this year is in no small part attributed to Kimi’s talent and experience of racing. It was a natural conclusion for us to confirm that we will be harnessing his abilities for next season.”