Iceman Kimi returns to burn more F1 rubber

Former champion signs two-year contract with lotus

Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen will make an comeback to Formula One next season after signing a two-year contract with Lotus,the team currently known as Renault said on Tuesday. The 32-year-old Finn won his title with Ferrari in 2007 but quit Formula One two years later and switched to rallying.

8220;I8217;m looking forward to playing an important role in pushing the team to the very front of the grid,8221; Raikkonen,who also had discussions with former champions Williams,said in a team statement.

The team,no longer owned by Renault,will race under the name of their title sponsor Lotus from next season. They did not say who Raikkonen8217;s team mate would be,although Russian Vitaly Petrov has a contract for 2012. France8217;s Romain Grosjean,this year8217;s GP2 champion,had been widely expected to take the second seat.

He said the two years he spent in rallying had been useful for him as a driver,but that he had an overwhelming hunger to return to Formula One. 8220;I have been impressed by the scope of the team8217;s ambition. Now I8217;m looking forward to playing an important role in pushing the team to the very front of the grid,8221; added the Finn.

His prospects of doing that remain very much an open question,with Renault finishing this season fifth overall and without a win since double champion Fernando Alonso was driving for them in 2008. The team has changed considerably since their championship glory days and,despite starting this year with two podium finishes,have rarely been able to take the fight to the top teams above them.

Michael Schumacher,Raikkonen8217;s Ferrari predecessor who started his comeback last year after three seasons away,has yet to return to the podium with Mercedes.

Raikkonen8217;s presence means the F1 grid will have six champions including Alonso,Jenson Button,Lewis Hamilton,Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel lining up to start the season in Melbourne next March. Poland8217;s Robert Kubica,is out of contract with Renault at the end of this year,Kubica8217;s chances of racing in 2012 now look more remote after Raikkonen8217;s appointment.