Jenson Button admitted he was shocked when he heard the news that Kimi Raikkonen would be returning to Formula 1 with Renault (Lotus) next season.
The McLaren driver believes the Finns return to the grid can only be seen as good news for the sport, and Button expects Raikkonen to be on the pace almost immediately.
“It was a shock to me that he’s going to be racing for the team he is,” Button told reporters at the Race of Champions. “I was really surprised when they announced Kimi. I thought he had a chance at Williams.
“I think it’s really good for the sport. As a driver, he’s very, very competitive. If he really wants to race, he’s going to be quick.
“From what I’ve heard from the engineers at McLaren, he knows what he’s doing in terms of engineering and setting up the car.
“It’s good to have him back and the races will be more fun and obviously the evenings after the races will be more fun,” added Button, in regard to Raikkonen’s famous love of partying.
David Coulthard, Raikkonen’s former teammate at McLaren, who was also in Germany to compete in the RoC, backed Button’s comments believing that the 32-year-old is now in a better place to enjoy F1.
“Kimi stopped too early in his career, there’s no question about that,” said Coulthard.
“He’s gone off and had some fun in rallying. So he’s taken a step back, and I’ve no doubt he will communicate with the media better than he did the first time around and he’ll give it his all. Good on him.”
