Kimi Raikkonen will get his first taste of the new Lotus Formula 1 car when it runs for the first time at Jerez on Feb. 7, two days after the car is revealed on the team's new website.
The team has announced that it will reveal its 2012 contender, which carries the comeback hopes of the 2007 Formula 1 World Champion after two years away from the sport, live on its new website – www.lotusf1team.com – at 11:00 a.m. Eastern on Sunday Feb. 5. The site will also go live on the same date, before the team's official unveiling of its new car at the Spanish venue the following day.
Raikkonen will then take on driving duties for the first two days of the first preseason test at Jerez and then hand the car over to teammate Romain Grosjean for the remainder of the four-day session.
The Finn, who has had no F1 track time since switching back from the World Rally Championship where he has been competing for the past two seasons, is expected to spend two days driving a 2010-spec Renault at Valencia next week using Pirelli's demo rubber.