[SenorFunkyPants]

Kimi hasn't been paid at all so far this season.
Currently owed eight million euros salary plus a bonus of 50,000 euros a point....tots up to around 17m Euros!

[KingOfJericho]

Same thing happened last year. They pay him last since the rest of the team isn't multimillionaires.

[JN1]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

Same thing happened last year. They pay him last since the rest of the team isn't multimillionaires.

Rough life, they all have.

[ChrisAW]

He might boycott the last few races. If I don't get to see Kimi drive in Austin I'm gunna be pissed.

[KingOfJericho]

Pretty shocking that they don't have a specified payment date(s) in those massive contracts.

[solstice]

No wonder his performance drops as the season progresses, not easy to keep motivation on top at work when you aren't being paid. Lotus sure made it easy for Kimi to leave.

[KingOfJericho]

Just sucks that a competitive team is so cash strapped. They have open contracts with Hulk and Maldonado but it will likely go to MAL due to his $30M backing from the state oil company. It's shitty to see a talented driver like Hulk get passed over just for money.

[solstice]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

Just sucks that a competitive team is so cash strapped. They have open contracts with Hulk and Maldonado but it will likely go to MAL due to his $30M backing from the state oil company. It's shitty to see a talented driver like Hulk get passed over just for money.

Agree, it seems like Hulk need to do the long route to the top. He is still young and if he is patient and continue to place his shitty cars better than much faster cars he will get his chance.

[SenorFunkyPants]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

Just sucks that a competitive team is so cash strapped. They have open contracts with Hulk and Maldonado but it will likely go to MAL due to his $30M backing from the state oil company. It's shitty to see a talented driver like Hulk get passed over just for money.

Lotus are trying to sign up a big new sponsor which if successful will allow them to have their first choice Hulkenberg, if not they are stuck with the very average Maldonado.

[Nang Vann]

That's a lot of dough, I can see why the ice man is taking it easy now.

So is Grosjean getting paid? Why didn't they just go half half and pay both drivers?

[Mtxzptlk]

From what I understand, Grosjean has sponsorship from TOTAL.

Tough luck for Hulk - who has no sponsorship whatsoever. I think he needs to huddle up w/ his management team get something going on that side. He's showing results in a subpar car but no deals are being closed. You either need backing through a driver program or sponsorship monies nowadays I guess.

[1MOREMOD]

Originally Posted by solstice

No wonder his performance drops as the season progresses, not easy to keep motivation on top at work when you aren't being paid. Lotus sure made it easy for Kimi to leave.

i think i would be more motivated to earn my pay, and you wont have all that extra cash floating around to go on hooker and blow binges so you can focus on driving?

[thebishman]

I wonder if Lotus are hoping to pay Kimi from their portion of the Constructor's bonus at the end of the year? It's a stupid strategy IMHO since they have pissed off their best driver by not paying him throughout the year.
The commentary team today were saying that Kimi would be in breech of contract by not showing up to the last two races if he's not paid; problem is however that no doubt Lotus are in breech for non-payment! Hope the team and Kimi get it worked out prior to Austin.
Bish

[SenorFunkyPants]

There was talk of Lotus being forced into liquidation if they didn't come to an arrangement with Kimi...apparently an arrangement was then made.

[Mtxzptlk]

^ Bernie bails out Lotus.

Lotus needs to pay Bernie. lol

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by thebishman

I wonder if Lotus are hoping to pay Kimi from their portion of the Constructor's bonus at the end of the year? It's a stupid strategy IMHO since they have pissed off their best driver by not paying him throughout the year.
The commentary team today were saying that Kimi would be in breech of contract by not showing up to the last two races if he's not paid; problem is however that no doubt Lotus are in breech for non-payment! Hope the team and Kimi get it worked out prior to Austin.
Bish

Can you imagine what the new driver must be thinking - who wants to go drive/work for Team Lotus. And what IF this is all a made up rumor so no driver even thinks, of driving for Lotus! It is probably a true rumor but still it makes me wonder. ? This is F1 madness.

[954Stealth]

This is from PT, sheds some added light on the situation:

""We have tried to be diplomatic," Raikkonen's manager Steve Robertson told Turun Sanomat newspaper in Abu Dhabi, "but it's already November.

"The time for talking is over and now we need action," he insisted.

The situation did not appear to have improved by Sunday's grand prix, however, when Raikkonen crashed on the first lap for the first time since 2006.

Conspiracy theories that Raikkonen did it on purpose did the rounds.

"We don't have to worry about that (drivers crashing on purpose)," Red Bull's mischievous Dr Helmut Marko said, "because we pay our drivers."

Raikkonen then immediately left the circuit.

"I hope Kimi will be driving in Austin," Robertson told Der Spiegel, "but first the conditions have to be right."

But then the 'Quantum' chief, Mansoor Ijaz, told reporters that talks with Robertson late on Saturday had in fact eased the tense situation.

"I've apologised to Steve, we've apologised to Kimi," he said.

Lotus team boss Eric Boullier confirmed only that the controversy with the unpaid Raikkonen had been "settled".

It might also be good news for Nico Hulkenberg, who is Lotus' first choice to replace the Ferrari-bound Ferrari next year.

Boullier admitted that a "contract" with Pastor Maldonado is also "ready" -- presumably if the Quantum deal ultimately collapses.

Ijaz confirmed that Quantum and Lotus' first choice is Hulkenberg.

"I know Nico is excited about doing this and I think it's a matter of a very short period before all that will be finalised," he said.

"We're going to clear off the (team's) debt, and then we're going to bring very high quality sponsors which you'll see very soon.

"They (Lotus) are going to pay a lot of bills this week, let's put it that way. We've asked them to make sure things get paid as quickly as possible," he added.

Boullier hinted that all will become clear on Tuesday. "Hopefully," the Frenchman smiled"

[David70]

I don't blame Kimi for being pissed. How many top NFL players would be playing games 15 & 16 if they hadn't been paid all year, were signed for another team next year, and there was a chance the team was going to go under?

They go under and he becomes one of many suing to get scraps from what is left.

Also sucks that teams deciding factor on a driver isn't just how good they are but also how much money they will bring. I have read that this will be one of the issues with getting a U.S. driver. Don't show up with big sponsors (companies in U.S. generally don't care that much about F1) and small and medium sized teams don't want to sign them.

[Nang Vann]

Seems like he did it on purpose, dont blame him though.

[ptack]

Hard to imagine that they aren't paying his expenses and a stipend. Maybe that's what this was about. The big money doesn't get paid out until the end of the season when they get it from Bernie. What's ironic is that Lotus was finally being relevant this season, but their nickle and dime approach is definitely undermining them now. They are either deep in a financial hole or they never heard of a bridge loan.

[954Stealth]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/111124

[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by 954Stealth

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/111124

Saving people the trip...

Lotus's long-term Formula 1 future received a major boost on Sunday night when investment group Quantum Motorsports said its deal to buy into the team was complete.

After a weekend when questions about Lotus's financial state emerged following Kimi Raikkonen's threat to not race because he had not been paid, major progress was made in the much heralded agreement.

Mansoor Ijaz, who is the head of the Quantum Motorsports consortium that includes Middle East investors, said that his company had now completed its side of the contract and just needed final approval from team owner Genii Capital.

"There is no question that the deal is definitely happening," he said, when asked by AUTOSPORT about the latest situation.

"I will even go out as far as to say that it has now been completed from our side in terms of what has to be done."

Quantum plans to buy a 35 per cent stake in the team through new shares issued by majority owner Genii.

There are also options for it to potentially take over the entire running of the team in the future, should Genii wish to scale down its involvement.

"We have options - I won't go into the details of those options - but the options do allow us in a fixed amount of time to take control of the team later on," Ijaz added. "We will do that in a way that is very co-ordinated with our partners at Genii."

APOLOGY TO RAIKKONEN

Ijaz revealed that the major investment deal will allow Lotus to pay off its debts, pay off suppliers – and also settle its pay dispute with Raikkonen.

As AUTOSPORT revealed earlier, Raikkonen has now reached a deal with Lotus to sort out his issues and will now race in the final two grands prix of the 2013 season.

Kimi Raikkonen

Ijaz said he was sorry for allowing the matter to get so out of hand after meeting with Raikkonen's manager Steve Robertson on Saturday night.

"We have apologised to Kimi," he said. "We intend to not only make sure that they are made whole, and then some, but we are intending also to compensate our employees and management team for having taken it on the chin from you guys [the media] in recent weeks."

Lotus has not yet officially confirmed the completion of the Quantum deal, but team principal Eric Boullier said on Sunday that he hoped an announcement could be made in the next 48 hours.

"I will not comment on this yet," he said. "I can't say anything yet. I think by Tuesday. I certainly hope so."