Former Force India executive Otmar Szafnauer has revealed that he came remarkably close to signing Kimi Räikkönen before the Finnish driver eventually returned to Formula 1 with Lotus in 2012.
2012: the return of ‘Iceman’ to Formula 1
At the end of the 2009 Formula 1 season, two years after securing his first and only world championship title, Kimi Räikkönen decided to step away from the sport and begin a new chapter in the World Rally Championship. However, the break from Formula 1 proved temporary.
In 2012, the last Ferrari world champion returned to the grid for the second phase of his F1 career after reaching an agreement with Lotus. Before putting pen to paper with the Enstone-based outfit, though, several teams explored the possibility of signing the popular Finn, including Force India.
Szafnauer’s attempt to sign Räikkönen
Following a strong season for the team, Otmar Szafnauer, who at the time was heavily involved in managing and improving Force India’s performance, personally approached Räikkönen in an effort to convince him to join the Silverstone-based squad.
Speaking on the High Performance Racing podcast, the Romanian-American engineer recalled just how close the negotiations came before Räikkönen ultimately chose Lotus instead.
“I almost signed Kimi Räikkönen for Force India before he went to Lotus,” Szafnauer admitted. “It was in Brazil, although I don’t remember the exact year, before the final race of the season.
“I was supposed to meet Kimi at the Hyatt in Morumbi, where all of us were staying. I met him together with two of his friends and tried to convince him to come to Force India. He told me: ‘Okay, at the end of the season, come and talk to me.’ I believe those two friends of his were the founders of Angry Birds, the video game. Then Räikkönen said: ‘Let’s go and talk at the Red Bull party.’ Red Bull was hosting a huge end-of-season celebration. When we arrived, I thought: ‘There’s no way we’re getting in, the crowd is enormous.’ We couldn’t get through at first, but then they recognized Kimi. They immediately said: ‘Kimi, this way,’ and opened every door for us.
“What impressed me was that Kimi waited for us to enter before he walked through the doors himself.”
Why the deal never happened
In the end, Force India entered the 2012 season with Paul di Resta and Nico Hülkenberg, the latter being promoted from his role as reserve driver. Looking back, however, Szafnauer acknowledged that Force India simply did not have a compelling enough package to attract a driver of Räikkönen’s stature.
“I couldn’t convince him,” he concluded. “There were several factors involved. You also have to convince drivers that your future looks brighter than the opportunities they have elsewhere. To be fair, he joined Lotus at a time when they were winning more races than we were. They were a stronger team during that period, and they still had James Allison.”
Kimi Räikkönen’s decision ultimately proved to be a successful one. During his two-year stint with Lotus, he claimed memorable victories and regularly fought near the front of the field before making his return to Ferrari in 2014. Nevertheless, Szafnauer’s recollection offers a fascinating glimpse into one of Formula 1’s lesser-known transfer stories and a move that came surprisingly close to becoming reality.
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