Kimi Raikkonen was very close to returning to Formula 1, but with a different team than the one that marked his return in 2012. Otmar Szafnauer revealed that he tried to convince the 2007 champion to sign with Force India before the Finn’s deal with Lotus.
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The former head of Force India, Aston Martin, and Alpine shared the behind-the-scenes of the negotiation during the High Performance Racing podcast, hosted alongside Jake Humphrey and Rob Smedley. According to Szafnauer, the attempt happened during the São Paulo GP weekend, the last round of the season before Raikkonen’s return to the category.
After leaving Ferrari at the end of 2009, Raikkonen spent two years away from Formula 1 before agreeing to return in 2012. At the time, Szafnauer believed he could bring the Finn to Force India and arranged a meeting at a hotel in Morumbi, São Paulo.
“We almost signed Kimi Raikkonen for Force India before he went to Lotus,” he said. “It was Brazil, the last race of the season. I needed to meet him at the Hyatt hotel in Morumbi. There is a Japanese restaurant there, so I met with him and two friends, trying to convince him to go to Force India.”
Szafnauer revealed that the driver handled negotiations personally and did not have traditional agents. According to him, the two friends accompanying Raikkonen were the founders of the game Angry Birds: “There was no agent, it was the two friends and Raikkonen,” he said.
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The former executive also recalled an unusual meeting during the Red Bull Racing party after the season ended: “Raikkonen said, ‘Alright, let’s talk at the Red Bull party.’ Red Bull was throwing a huge party at the end of the season. We got there and I thought we wouldn’t get in, there were so many people. Kimi waited for everyone to enter before going in,” he added.
Despite the insistence, Szafnauer was unable to close a deal with the 2007 Formula 1 champion. According to him, Lotus offered at that moment a stronger sporting perspective than Force India.
“In the end, I couldn’t convince him to go to Force India. You have to convince drivers that the future looks better than other offers, and to be fair to him, Lotus won more races than us. They were better,” he acknowledged.
The decision ended up proving right for Raikkonen. In two seasons with Lotus, the Finn scored 390 points, achieved 13 podiums, and won the 2012 Abu Dhabi and 2013 Australian GPs. The performance was so strong that, according to the report, the performance bonuses almost led the team to financial difficulties.
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