Kimi Raikkonen has pulled out of the last two races of the Formula One season in Texas and Brazil after deciding to have back surgery this week, the Lotus driver’s management said yesterday.
The decision ended the 2007 world champion’s two seasons with Lotus on a controversial note, with the Finn already warning the team a week ago that he could walk out if his wages were not paid.
Raikkonen is returning to Ferrari next year, the glamour team with which he won his world title, and had a seat fitting with them last week.
Manager Steve Robertson said in a statement that Raikkonen would have surgery this week with “the consequent four weeks recovery time forcing him to miss the forthcoming United States and Brazilian grands prix.
Raikkonen has a long-standing back problem, which flared up in Singapore in September and is understood to be a legacy from a crash he suffered in testing with Sauber during his 2001 rookie season.
There was no immediate comment from Lotus, who have been trying for months to finalise an investment deal to secure the team’s future.
The team have Italian Davide Valsecchi, last year’s GP2 champion, as their reserve. If handed Raikkonen’s seat for the last two rounds, he would be the first Italian on the grid since Jarno Trulli in 2011.