*Updated* Raikkonen Takes to the Track for the First Time for Lotus

*Updated with video of Kimi being his usual, terse self talking about returning to Formula 1.*

Kimi Raikkonen is back in the F1 saddle for the first time in two years. He took his Lotus on the track for the first time on January 23, and Team Lotus posted several pictures of his first outing to Twitter. You can see those images in the gallery with this post. 

Raikkonen tested a two-year-old Renault R30 during the testing day at Valencia. He will not get to drive the current Team Lotus car until the test at Jerez next month. Raikkonen is in a two-year-old car because of vagueries in Formula 1 rules. Current cars can only be tested on specific testing days, but the old car is not part of the rule; so Raikkonen is free to get used to driving a Formula 1 car again. 

Since leaving Formula 1, Raikkonnen raced in the World Rally Championship for two years. He also competed in two Nascar Camping World Truck Series races finishing in 15th and 27th respectively. 

Lotus did not reveal what kind of lap times Raikkonnen turned in his first test; so it is hard to say if he is still competitive. He released a statement on Team Lotus's web site saying, "I don't think I've lost any speed. Getting on top of the tyres will be the hardest thing, of course, but I'm not really worried."

Source: Autosport