Last year Kimi was payed at the end of the year. So why Kimi react like that this year ???
Fool me once, fool me twice...
there are two options he must understand. the team can invest in performance and pay him at the end of the year or pay his salary on time and have no money for car development.
he's worked a lot, has a valid contract and deserves any cent (plus bonuses and everything). However he will get paid, it's not like he's out of money and the team gave him a fantastic car for their possibilities. They gave him a chance after being fired by Ferrari and taking a break and they gave him a great car. he delivered great performances so both parties need to take a cold shower and relax.
Kimi renegotiated his contract after last year because Lotus struggled to pay him. The team should have used their fiances better. Kimi didn't hold them at gunpoint to sign him, they agreed and signed a contract. The other employees and car performance ultimately isn't Kimi's responsibility he isn't the team owner. It is the team owners job to think about these things, and to budget accordingly.
Lotus wasted a lot of money to develop the PDRS for two years, couldn't they have used that money on real developments? They have used a lot of money on upgrading their simulator, they already had simulator if you had to choose between upgrading a simulator or paying the wages of the work force, then you should pay the workforce. Lotus also used millions on making expensive videos for marketing, couldn't that money have been used better? It is not just as simple as saying that Kimi should wait for his money because of car development or employees that have to be paid.
We dont have Lotus's full budget in front of us, we dont know how they are spending their money, are they actually just using their money for the most bare necessities? Just from those few examples that we know of, it is clear that they could have used their budget better. That is why it shouldn't be Kimi's responsibility, he is not the one who designed the budget and he is not the one who is spending the money.
On top of that Lotus could have handled the situation better. Why did Lotus at first insinuate that it was only Kimi's bonuses that was missing? Why did they have to lie publicly and said Kimi's salary was paid in full 4 weeks ago?
Lopez accused Kimi of only going to Ferrari because of the money, while they in fact haven't paid him anything for the whole season. At the same time Permane constantly has snide remarks, when Kimi's gets a podium he was only lucky, in Singapore Permane said that it was the most annoying podium ever and then Kimi got screamed at, in public. It is a lot of nonsense to put up with when are not getting paid.
Lotus could have been upfront about the situation, but instead they decided to act deceitful. There is simply no reason or explanation for why Lotus couldn't atleast have paid a portion of the salary to Kimi. Kimi is paying for his own accommodation and travelling to and from the races, could Lotus not at the very least have paid those costs? There is simply a lack of effort here. There is also a risk to racing, Kimi already injured his back in Singapore, that must surely be something to think about when you not getting paid.
Everyone is repeating with certainty that Kimi will get paid at the end of the year, but there is no real guarantees about that, Lotus is engaging with investors that have murky backgrounds, and he will be leaving the team soon, what recourse would he then have on Lotus? Now that Kimi has spoken up, and people are aware of the issue, he might stand a better chance to get paid.
Edited by intelligentsia, 04 November 2013 - 11:15.