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Can Kimi Raikkonen challenge for victories again in 2013? All will depend on how good the Lotus E21 turns out to be. Here’s what he said in a Q&A provided by the team today.

What are your thoughts heading into your second season with Lotus F1 Team?
I’m feeling pretty good. Last year was my return to Formula 1 and it went pretty well. This year will be my second with Lotus F1 Team and my eleventh season overall in Formula 1 so I’ve got a pretty good idea of what to expect. I’m sure it will be an exciting season and I’m sure there’ll be lots to talk about. For me, I will continue to do the best I can; let’s see how good our car is, and how good the cars of the opposition are too.

Is the continuity of going into your second season with the team beneficial to you?
It helps. It’s not a massive thing which will suddenly mean you start winning all the races, but it’s nice to be at the same team as you understand how they work, and they understand how you work. We quickly developed a pretty good way of working together last year and there’s no reason to think that won’t continue this season.

Are you still learning as a driver?
I don’t think you ever stop learning, but there is less to learn than if you’re a rookie. I don’t think I could say I’m a rookie. We had new tracks last year; that’s always something nice to learn and for me best learnt on the tracks themselves. There will be a new car which we’ll want to develop and get working at its best. There are always changes in the sport; some small, some big. Generally everything’s pretty similar, and the feeling of racing on track is pretty familiar.

This is the second year of a two-year deal; are you thinking of 2014 and beyond?
I’m not really thinking beyond this season at the moment, but I’m sure there will be talk before the end of the year. I enjoyed my comeback to Formula 1 last year and there’s no reason to say I shouldn’t enjoy the 2013 season too. I know there will be big changes to the cars and regulations for 2014, so who’s to say that won’t be exciting.

Have you set yourself targets and objectives for the season?
To do the best job I can. I’ve not driven the E21 yet so it’s difficult to say what could or could not be possible. We know we had a good car last season, but everyone is working hard to make the best car. I will be working with the team to help get the car as strong as we can, then in Melbourne we’ll have our first taste of results. It’s a long season from there. 2012 was a good start; let’s see what we can do in 2013.

Do you think the team has what it takes to win a championship?
Yes, I think they do. It’s clear from working with them that they are racers, and you can see in their history that they’ve won championships. Nothing I saw last year made me think that another championship was impossible in the future. Of course, there is some pretty tough competition out there and everyone wants to win. The team have beaten everyone before and there’s nothing to say they can’t do it again.

Are you looking forward to working with Romain again?
We had a pretty good relationship last year and it’s clear he’s fast and motivated. On track we were pretty close to each other at times but we didn’t have any issues. It’s good when you have a team-mate who’s fast and works hard. I think we should be fine in 2013.

Do you think you proved a point in 2012?
Maybe for other people, but not for myself. I knew I could still perform well in Formula 1 given the right opportunity; it was only other people who had doubts.

The Lotus E21 became the first 2013 F1 car to break cover when the team conducted an online launch on Monday evening.

The car has been overseen by technical director James Allison.

Introducing the car, Allison said: “There’s a lot gone into it, and it’s going to be an exciting car. The rules for 2013 are very, very similar to those of 2012, so you can expect a lot of family resemblance from a 2012 car.

“But as ever in F1, the devil is in the detail, and the detail of this car adds up to a significant amount of performance. It’s a mixture, there’s some neat new ideas in there, and a lot of pushing of the same sort of concepts that we’ve been working on for a few years.”

The car still has a nose step, and Allison confirmed that weight concerns meant no vanity panel has been fitted as yet.

“We have not done it yet because the cosmetic panel would weigh a few grammes, and with an F1 car putting a few grammes on that you don’t need to is really anathema to us. However if we find a cosmetic panel that looks nice and much more important and crucially develops a bit of downforce then we’ll pop it on as quick as you like!”

Kimi Raikkonen noted: “It’s not going to be easy to improve on what we did already last year, but that’s our aim, to do better, not just for the drivers, but the team also. Hopefully we can do it.

“We tried to improve in all areas, and for sure if you can qualify more higher up it will give you a much better chance to win more races and makes your life much easier on race days. It’s the whole package that they’ve been trying to make faster and hopefully they’ve managed to do that.”

Meanwhile Romain Grosjean said: “The team did its best to improve from last year. I think we had a beautiful car last year to drive, really nice. Kimi won a race, we had some podiums. Everybody wants more, and that’s what we’re trying to achieve.”

Three other drivers are in the Lotus squad this year, the team explaining: “Third Driver is reigning GP2 series champion Davide Valsecchi, whilst Nicolas Prost will perform Development Driver duties. Jérôme D’Ambrosio will continue with the team as Reserve Driver.”

Williams says that Susie Wolff will have an expanded role as development driver in 2013, involving more time in the simulator and in the actual car.

Indeed Wolff will give the new FW35 its first miles in an aero test at Idiada, Spain, next month.

Wolff is married to Williams shareholder and new Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff.

“Last year was a valuable experience and I certainly feel that I’ve developed a lot as a driver,” said Wolff. “Increasing my role this year will further this progression and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the FW35 for the first time next month.

“I’m showing that women can play a role at the top level of motorsport and would like to thank Sir Frank Williams and the whole of the technical team for the trust they continue to show in me.’’

Technical Director Mike Coughlan added: ‘’Susie has proved herself to be a valuable addition to our driver roster and her feedback during simulator sessions is second to none. As a result we will be stepping up her role this year and I’m looking forward to the progress we can make with Susie’s input in conjunction with that of Pastor and Valtteri.’’

The mayor of Sochi has cited a November date for the first Russian GP in 2014, some nine months after the Winter Olympics at the same site.

The choice is unusual since the month is already packed with races, and not surprisingly the weather won’t be very hospitable. Wikipedia notes a mean of 10.9 C for the month, and a record low of minus 5.4 C!

Often compared with Nice, Sochi is noted for its palm tree climate in the summer, and going there in the winter would seem to be a strange decision.

“It will be held in November, after the Olympics,” Reuters reports Anatoly Pakhomov as telling reports in Moscow.

“The circuit’s construction is being closely monitored by the regional government. Everything is going according to plan. If we had any problems we would have asked for help from other regions.”

Timo Glock is a happy man after securing a BMW drive

Following this week’s DTM testing in Valencia BMW has now formally confirmed that Timo Glock will have a race seat with the marque in 2013.

Former BMW F1 tester Glock pursued the DTM route as it became clear that Marussia was unable to retain him for this season, and the test was a formality.

“It is very exciting for me to drive for BMW again after all these years – and in such a top-class racing series as the DTM,” said Glock. “I had a fantastic time in Formula One, but am now looking forward to battling for victories again with my old friends at BMW Motorsport. That is the approach I shall be taking to the challenge of the DTM.

“I am obviously aware I will have to adapt to a few areas. Not all former Formula One drivers have found their feet immediately in the DTM. But I am using precisely that as my motivation. After winning the title in such impressive fashion last year, there can be absolutely no question that the BMW M3 DTM has everything it needs to allow us to compete at the front of the field again in 2013.”

“We are delighted to have Timo Glock back at BMW Motorsport,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “Over the course of his career, Timo has proven on more than one occasion how valuable he is to any team, thanks to his driving ability and open manner.

“The fact that he is now returning to the BMW family six years after leaving his role as test driver for the BMW Sauber F1 Team makes this appointment all the more pleasing. I am confident Timo will take no time at all to find his feet in the DTM and will give the fans a lot of pleasure.”

After his first DTM test yesterday Robert Kubica had some interesting things to say about his recovery and his hopes for the future – including a possible return to F1…

Ross Brawn and Lewis Hamilton in Brackley on Thursday

Ross Brawn made it clear today that he intends to stay on at Mercedes GP for the time being, and confirmed that he is firmly in charge – but at the same time admitted that he has yet to make a long term commitment to the company.

Brawn also in effect acknowledged that Paddy Lowe is seen by Mercedes as a potential successor, although he avoided going into too many specifics.

“I know the situation completely,” he said in a meeting with the British media. “Mercedes want a long term commitment. Obviously with a lot of additions [to the management] I want to see how things go before I make a final long term commitment.

“We have to have things in place… It’s rather like my succession plan at Ferrari. When I decided I was going to stop at Ferrari we’d built a succession plan, and I’ve been part of that. I’ve talked to Paddy, we know the situation… I’m planning on being here a very long time.”

Although he didn’t mention Niki Lauda – who has been wielding considerable influence since he came on board in October – Brawn was keen to point out that the buck stops with him. He also noted that Toto Wolff’s appointment will be a benefit.

“I am the team principal, I am in charge of sporting and technical and racing matters. Of course Toto’s coming in and there’s another side of the business that quite frankly I don’t want to get involved in.

“I don’t want to get involved in commercial activities on a day-to-day basis, I don’t want to get involved with the support we need to give Daimler on a day-to-day basis. There’s a lot of things which Toto will be doing which are complimentary to what I’m doing in terms of running the team.

“But you have to have one reference. Everybody knows that the only way a racing team will work is to have one reference. And I’m that reference.”

Robert Kubica enjoyed his first test in the Mercedes DTM car at Valencia today, running a handy 114 laps on a day affected by rain.

His last appearance in an F1 car to date came at the same track with Lotus Renault GP on February 3 2011.

“My first day of testing in a DTM car was great fun and I learned a lot about the series and the DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé,” said the Pole. “The first installation lap was in the dry, then a few heavy showers of rain came down and we had to wait for the track to dry out. All in all, it was a good experience, getting to know the car in different weather conditions.

“I was able to get to grips with the DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé and felt very comfortable in the car, even though after my long break it meant adjusting to the high downforce that a state-of-the art DTM race car produces. I’m very pleased with my performance on this first day of DTM testing and had no problems whatsoever in the car.”

Fernando Alonso will miss the first test of 2013 in Jerez, leaving the new Ferrari to Felipe Massa and Pedro de la Rosa.

Ferrari has opted for continuity – and the chance to give Massa some useful early mileage – by giving him the first three days of the Jerez test. De la Rosa will do the last, primarily to give him experience of the real car before he focuses on the developing the simulator programme.

Alonso will get his chance at the second test in Barcelona, where he will drive for three days before handing over to Massa.

At the second Barcelona test the two drivers will alternate, running two days apiece.

Ferrari also confirmed that the new car’s engine was fired up for the first time yesterday.

On the eve of his Mercedes DTM test Robert Kubica says it’s too early to make any comments about his future in the sport.

The Pole will try the car in Valencia on Thursday as he continues to investigate the possibility of a racing return.

“I’m really pleased that Mercedes-Benz is giving me the opportunity to test their DTM car and I’m looking forward to getting acclimatised to a race car again,” he said in a Mercedes statement.

“It will be in proper testing conditions, on a permanent circuit, and it’s important because the DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé has good levels of downforce. It’s still too early to make any statements about my future because of this one test. I’m just looking forward to tomorrow and we’ll see what happens after that.”