The Lotus F1 Team has denied Kimi Raikkonen’s request to take part in Rally Finland this August after the Finn requested permission to enter the event.
The WRC stage coincides with Formula 1’s five-week summer break, but with their star driver Robert Kubica having suffered a rally accident in 2011, ruling him out for the season, team principal Eric Boullier decided not to risk the same happening with Raikkonen.
“Contractually he cannot do it. End of story,” Boullier told Reuters.
“Obviously there is a trauma here after 2011. But we can’t allow any contract with the drivers…it’s supposed to have a clause where they cannot take any risk because they are so valuable for the team,” he explained. “Rally, skiing, jumping is not allowed.”
