Kimi Raikkonen's [ Images ] Formula One comeback picked up speed on Monday when the Finn got back behind the wheel of a two-year-old Renault [ Images ] grand prix car at the Valencia circuit in eastern Spain.
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The 'Iceman', 2007 world champion with Ferrari [ Images ] and winner of 18 races in his time with the Italian team and McLaren [ Images ], is returning to Formula One this season after two years in the world rally championship.
Lotus, formerly Renault, said in a statement that the 32-year-old aimed to drive as many laps as possible in the two days in Valencia to get acquainted with his new team and reacclimatise himself with a Formula One car.
They issued a picture of Raikkonen, who last drove a Formula One car in 2009, on his first lap in the R30 - painted in Lotus's black-and-gold livery - at the Ricardo Tormo track.
The new Lotus will be launched on February 5 before the first official test of the season at the Jerez track in southern Spain starts on February 7.
Teams are not allowed to test up-to-date cars outside of official sessions which meant Raikkonen could drive only an older machine using demonstration tyres. The season starts in Australia [ Images ] on March 18.
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