“So we are therefore in no rush to announce anyone without establishing what
will be the best for our team and the future.”
Boullier said, however, that losing Raikkonen had come as “a disappointment to
all of us”.
Following a two-year sabbatical in rallying in 2010 and 2011 after leaving
Ferrari at the end of 2009, Raikkonen returned to F1 with Lotus at the start
of last season.
The 2007 world champion helped propel Lotus back on to the top step of the
podium, initially in Abu Dhabi last season and Australia at the start of
this campaign.
Both those victories played a part in Raikkonen’s new Formula One record run
of 27 consecutive races in the points.
Reflecting on Raikkonen’s time with the team, Boullier added: “We’re sure you
will agree Kimi has been nothing but brilliant since he joined us.
“In the same breath, Enstone has again proven its pedigree, providing him with
two great cars and making his return to Formula One a success. It’s been a
win-win situation right from the beginning.”
Insisting there was no bitterness over Raikkonen’s decision, Boullier added:
“Two years ago, when we decided to sign him, quite a few people thought we
were crazy. And what happened in the end?
“We’ve been working with an amazing racer, who scored points for the team 27
times in a row, won two races, put motivation at a very high level at
Enstone, and got on very well with his team-mate.
“Now, it’s time to think about the future. You know, we remain a medium-sized
team and there are some areas in which we’re not in a position to fight
against the other top teams just yet.
“But we’ve had (Michael) Schumacher, (Fernando) Alonso, Raikkonen. New
champions will join the list here soon I’m sure.”