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Former Formula One world champion Kimi Raikkonen made his return to the track after two years away during a private test session with Lotus-Renault.

The Iceman drove a 2010-spec Renault R30 at Valencia due to the testing restriction.

Sporting a new helmet design on his return, Raikkonen took to the wheel of the Renault-powered car – painted in the team’s contemporary black and gold livery and using Pirelli’s demonstration-spec rubber – for an installation lap.

The Finn is taking part in a two-day session designed to help him reacclimatise himself with modern-spec Grand Prix machinery. His first test with the team’s 2012 car will take place at Jerez next month.

Raikkonen last raced in Formula One in 2009, when he was dropped by Ferrari and chose to switch to the World Rally Championship for the following year. He competed for only two seasons.

Keen to return to racing, however, Raikkonen briefly tried the NASCAR truck series last year before eventually agreeing a deal with Lotus to return to the sport this year.

“There were different choices for this year but I really wanted to do racing – I did some NASCAR last year and I really enjoyed competing against people again,” he said.

“It was then that I decided to do some racing again and F1 is the highest level of racing and where people want to be.

“It takes a little bit of time to get used to it, but the main bits of driving – braking, turning, the normal things – don’t take many laps. But learning about the car, the team and the tyres will take time.”

It’s so great to see the Iceman back in Formula One and the amount of attention from various motor racing websites and social network reveal how popular Kimi Raikkonen is. Hopefully, the Finn will rediscover his winning speed and can compete against the other champions on the grid this season with full confidence.

Video of Raikkonen in action at Valencia:

Following months of speculation, Williams has finally confirmed the long awaited news that Bruno Senna will drive for the team alongside Pastor Maldonado.

The 28-year-old Brazilian secured one of the two remaining seats in Formula One in 2012. He will take over Rubens Barrichello’s place at Williams.

Senna said: “I feel very privileged that Williams has selected me as one of their race drivers. The team has a great heritage and I hope I can help write a good chapter in their history.

“The evaluation process has been intense and methodical but the time I have spent in the factory has demonstrated that the team has great people and all the resources needed to achieve better things this season.

Senna, the nephew of three-time world champion Ayrton, made his Grand Prix debut with the Hispania team back in 2010, but could not secure a seat for the start of the 2011 season.

He eventually replaced Nick Heidfeld at the Renault team from last year’s Belgian Grand Prix, but the team decided to hire Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean for this season. Senna managed two points in eight races in last season’s campaign.

Rumours of Bruno Senna linking with Williams lasted for months and when the Grove-based team officially announce the news on January 17, a cause of celebration emerged from various motorsport forums and social network sites.

For Bruno Senna, he will get his chance to represent the great Williams team when he takes to the race track on February 9, the first day of official Formula One testing at Jerez.

The move is rich in symbolism. As his uncle, Ayrton Senna, was in his third race for Williams-Renault when he lost his life in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

“It will be very interesting to drive for a team that my uncle has driven for, particularly as quite a few of the people here actually worked with Ayrton. Hopefully we can bring back some memories and create some great new ones too.

“I also want to get some good results in return for the support my country has given me to help get me to this position today. I am very proud to be Brazilian and more motivated than ever to demonstrate what I can do. Ever since I first sat in a go-kart I never wanted to do anything else.”

The move means Rubens Barrichello looks set to be absent from Formula One for the first time in twenty years.

The Brazilian said on Twitter after the announcement that his “future is wide open”.

This season of Formula One racing has been incredible, with so many records broken including most pole positions and overtaking in a single race compared to past years thanks to the new rules outlined by the sport’s governing body to provide a better spectacle.

The introduction of the Drag Reduction System (DRS), an adjustable rear wing designed to increase straight-line speed worked a treat to aid overtaking. Plus the combination of the KERS and the fast degrading Pirellis – the new tyre supplier for the sport – made the racing more exciting for the drivers, teams and fans.

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Kimi Raikkonen will return to Formula One racing next season following the news announcement at Lotus Renault.

The Iceman, who left the sport at the end of 2009 season after being dropped by Scuderia Ferrari, had been in talks with the Williams team about a possible return next year, but the deal fell through.

From that a speculation of a Renault tie-up was push forward, with team principal Eric Boullier confirming in Brazil last weekend that the Finn was on the shortlist of candidates for 2012 – when his outfit will be renamed Lotus.

Speaking about his return, Raikkonen said: “I’m delighted to be coming back to Formula 1 after a two-year break, and I’m grateful to Lotus Renault GP for offering me this opportunity. My time in the World Rally Championship has been a useful stage in my career as a driver, but I can’t deny the fact that my hunger for F1 has recently become overwhelming.

“It was an easy choice to return with Lotus Renault GP as I have been impressed by the scope of the team’s ambition. Now I’m looking forward to playing an important role in pushing the team to the very front of the grid.”

Team owner Gerard Lopez added: “All year long, we kept saying that our team was at the start of a brand new cycle. Backstage we’ve been working hard to build the foundations of a successful structure and to ensure that we would soon be able to fight at the highest level.

“Kimi’s decision to come back to Formula 1 with us is the first step of several announcements which should turn us into an even more serious contender in the future. Of course, we are all looking forward to working with a world champion. On behalf of our staff, I’d like to welcome Kimi to Enstone, a setting that has always been known for its human approach to Formula 1.”

Raikkonen, 32, moved from Formula 1 to the World Rally Championship in 2010, where he spent the last two seasons while also competing in one race of the NASCAR Truck series and one Nationwide event.

The Finn won the Formula 1 world championship in 2007 with Ferrari, having scored a total of 18 wins since he made his Grand Prix debut in 2001 with Sauber.

Renault was forced to search for another driver after Robert Kubica confirmed last week that he would not be ready to start the 2012 season following his dramatic accident in February.

Raikkonen’s return means a record six world champions will compete alongside each other. He joins Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher.

It will be fascinating to see how the Iceman will cope with the new Pirelli tyres, KERS and DRS since he last left the sport.

Video interview with Kimi Raikkonen:

Mark Webber ended the perfect season for Red Bull Racing with victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

It has been a long time coming for the Australian considering the ultra success of his team-mate Sebastian Vettel. To take his first win in the season finale is much of a relief and a good way to sign off the year.

For Sebastian Vettel, the double world champion had to nurse his car following a gearbox issue. The young German did a great job in making it to the chequered flag and taking second position is quite impressive considering the circumstance.

As for Jenson Button, the McLaren driver secured the runner-up spot in the championship with third.

The pace of the Red Bulls at Interlagos was immense, with Vettel holding the lead at the start. Team-mate Webber was able to fend off the others for P2 despite a slightly slower getaway off the grid.

Vettel soon opened up a stable three-second gap to Webber, as the Red Bull duo left the rest in their wake at a rate of around a second per lap.

But from the early laps Vettel was receiving radio messages warning him to short-shift second and third gear to nurse a developing gearbox problem, and as the warnings became more urgent, his pace slowed enough for Webber to sweep past and into the lead on lap 29.

With Webber as the new leader, the Australian took advantage and went on to take his first win since last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix. As for Vettel, he had enough pace to hang on for second position.

He was helped by McLaren’s Jenson Button and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso battling over third spot. Alonso passed Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren at the start, and then claimed P3 from Button with a spectacular move around the outside at Ferradura on lap 11.

Alonso then pulled away, only to lose pace on the harder Prime tyre in his final stint, allowing Button to catch and re-pass him nine laps from the flag with an easy DRS manoeuvre.

Hamilton was set to battle with Felipe Massa for fifth – with the Brazilian pitting twice while the others adopted the three pit-stop strategy – until a gearbox failure halted the McLaren, ensuring the Ferrari could keep the track position.

Adrian Sutil claimed sixth place after an entertaining battle with Nico Rosberg. He passed the Mercedes driver heading into the Senna S only to be out-done on the brakes by Rosberg and fall back behind.

Sutil tried again on the next lap and this time squeezed Rosberg towards the inside of the corner to be sure of taking the place.

Behind them came Paul di Resta, coping with KERS and gearbox problems, cementing Force India’s sixth place in the championship. They ended the year just four points behind Renault with Vitaly Petrov taking tenth at the flag.

His Renault team-mate Bruno Senna clashed with Michael Schumacher at the Senna S early on, giving the Mercedes a left-rear puncture. The race stewards handed out Senna a drive-through penalty for the collision and with gearbox troubles also developing, he fell to P17, while Schumacher got back to P15.

Rubens Barrichello was unable to score in what could be his final Grand Prix appearance. A poor start dropped the Williams to P21 but he was able to recover to P14.

So a great season finale in Brazil. The threat of rain never made an appearance despite different weather forecasts but after waiting all year, Mark Webber took the dominant RB7 to his seventh career victory.

The Australian recorded the fastest lap on the final lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix. The closest non-Red Bull finisher was almost half a minute behind.

Despite his gearbox problem, Sebastian Vettel ended up almost 17 seconds behind his team-mate, and over ten clear of Jenson Button.

It served only to underline the dominance of Red Bull throughout the season, and particularly in the second half. Their rivals have much to do in the next two months before testing for the 2012 season resumes.

Brazilian Grand Prix race results, 71 laps:

1.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault           1h32:17.434
2.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault           +16.983
3.  Button        McLaren-Mercedes           +27.638
4.  Alonso        Ferrari                    +35.048
5.  Massa         Ferrari                    +1:06.733
6.  Sutil         Force India-Mercedes       +1 lap
7.  Rosberg       Mercedes                   +1 lap
8.  Di Resta      Force India-Mercedes       +1 lap
9.  Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari             +1 lap
10.  Petrov        Renault                    +1 lap
11.  Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +1 lap
12.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +1 lap
13.  Perez         Sauber-Ferrari             +1 lap
14.  Barrichello   Williams-Cosworth          +1 lap
15.  Schumacher    Mercedes                   +1 lap
16.  Kovalainen    Lotus-Renault              +2 laps
17.  Senna         Renault                    +2 laps
18.  Trulli        Lotus-Renault              +2 laps
19.  D’Ambrosio    Virgin-Cosworth            +3 laps
20.  Ricciardo     HRT-Cosworth               +3 laps

Fastest lap: Webber, 1:15.324

Not classified/retirements:

Liuzzi        HRT-Cosworth                 62 laps
Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes             37 laps
Maldonado     Williams-Cosworth            27 laps
Glock         Virgin-Cosworth              22 laps

World Championship standings, round 19:

Drivers:
1.  Vettel       392
2.  Button       270
3.  Webber       258
4.  Alonso       257
5.  Hamilton     227
6.  Massa        118
7.  Rosberg       89
8.  Schumacher    76
9.  Sutil         42
10.  Petrov        37
11.  Heidfeld      34
12.  Kobayashi     30
13.  Di Resta      27
14.  Alguersuari   26
15.  Buemi         15
16.  Perez         14
17.  Barrichello    4
18.  Senna          2
19.  Maldonado      1

Constructors:
1.  Red Bull-Renault          650
2.  McLaren-Mercedes          497
3.  Ferrari                   375
4.  Mercedes                  165
5.  Renault                    73
6.  Force India-Mercedes       69
7.  Sauber-Ferrari             44
8.  Toro Rosso-Ferrari         41
9.  Williams-Cosworth           5

After becoming the youngest double world champion in Japan and leading every lap in the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel continues to set new records with his fifteenth pole position at Interlagos.

To equal Nigel Mansell’s 1992 record with 14 poles is impressive but what Sebastian Vettel has achieved this season is nothing short of remarkable.

The Red Bull Racing driver was quickest in Q2 and in the all-important top ten shootout, Vettel went even faster setting the initial lap time of one minute, 12.268 seconds. On his second run in Q3, the world champion improved with one minute, 11.918 seconds.

Mark Webber made it an all-Red Bull front row, winning a battle over McLaren’s Q1 pacesetter Jenson Button, who overcame his Interlagos qualifying disasters to take third position.

It seemed that Button would be starting the Brazilian Grand Prix on the front row, but in the final few moments of Q3, Webber came through with a time of one minute, 12.099 seconds to snatch the position.

Sporting a Senna-style helmet, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton was only fourth with a lap time of one minute, 12.480 seconds.

The Scuderias took fifth and seventh with Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes in between Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. Rosberg had earlier set a superb time in Q2 with second fastest. His Mercedes team-mate Michael Schumacher didn’t even bother setting a lap in Q3 in order to save a set of Pirellis and will start the race in tenth.

Force India’s Adrian Sutil took eighth ahead of Bruno Senna, who impressed on home ground to deliver a now rare Q3 appearance for Renault.

Outside the top ten, Rubens Barrichello produced a strong performance to get his Williams up to P12 for what may be his last Grand Prix start.

Paul di Resta and Vitaly Petrov could not match their respective team-mates and will line up in P11 and P16. While the Toro Rossos will share row seven, followed by the Saubers.

Pastor Maldonado was half a second down on his Williams team-mate Rubens Barrichello and was unfortunately knocked out in Q1. He will start in P18.

The new rear wing on the Lotus did not bring the hoped-for Q2 progress, however the team did move a step closer to those ahead with Heikki Kovalainen within half a second of Toro Rosso, Sauber and Williams pace.

HRT managed to get both its cars ahead of Virgin Racing, while Jerome D’Ambrosio outqualified Timo Glock in what could well be his final Virgin outing before being replaced by Charles Pic.

Qualifying positions from Interlagos:

1.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault     1m11.918s
2.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault     1m12.099s
3.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes     1m12.283s
4.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes     1m12.480s
5.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari              1m12.591s
6.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes             1m13.050s
7.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari              1m13.068s
8.  Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes 1m13.298s
9.  Bruno Senna           Renault              1m13.761s
10.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes    No time
11.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes 1m13.584s
12.  Rubens Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth    1m13.801s
13.  Jaime Alguersuari     Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m13.804s
14.  Sebastien Buemi       Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m13.919s
15.  Vitaly Petrov         Renault              1m14.053s
16.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari       1m14.129s
17.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari       1m14.182s
18.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Cosworth    1m14.625s
19.  Heikki Kovalainen     Lotus-Renault        1m15.068s
20.  Jarno Trulli          Lotus-Renault        1m15.358s
21.  Tonio Liuzzi          HRT-Cosworth         1m16.631s
22.  Daniel Ricciardo      HRT-Cosworth         1m16.890s
23.  Jerome D’Ambrosio     Virgin-Cosworth      1m17.019s
24.  Timo Glock            Virgin-Cosworth      1m17.060s

107 per cent time: 1m18.410s