Raikkonen cool amid F1 comeback ’noise’

Kimi Raikkonen insists the "noise" surrounding his return to formula one does not bother him.

On the one hand, the 2007 world champion’s decision to leave his new world rallying foray to return to F1 with Lotus is big news, with his static seat fitting on Thursday arguably the headline of the day.

But there has also been some negativity, with some questioning his motivation, others noting he appears visibly unfit, and Gerhard Berger advising him to "lay off the vodka".

"There has been quite a bit of noise in the press about my comeback and there have been a lot of rumours," Raikkonen, 32, said in an interview distributed by Lotus F1 Team.

"It has no effect on me — sometimes you hear some nonsense and sometimes you hear nice things.

"I have never really looked at what people say or think. I do my own thing and as long as I’m happy with it then that’s the main thing for me," he added.

Raikkonen said Thursday’s visit to the Enstone factory was his first sit in a formula one car whilst wearing a race suit and helmet since his last race with Ferrari in 2009.

"It felt a bit odd at first because the cockpit seems a bit small, but that’s normal — it feels a bit strange when you first step into the car but you quickly adjust.

"It will be nice to get back to racing," added the winner of 18 grands prix.