Kimi Raikkonen was absent from his usual media duties on Thursday after he decided to delay his flight to Abu Dhabi to spend more time at home.
The Finnish driver is no stranger to skipping Thursday sessions and Lotus brushed the delay aside, but high level sources at the team revealed that the relationship has soured, especially in recent days.
It follows a poor strategic decision to put him on a one-stop in India which resulted in him losing several places at the end of the race, including to team-mate Romain Grosjean who, on a two-stop, climbed from 17th to 3rd.
A radio message from Alan Permane is also believed to have upset the Finn as well, after he demanded Raikkonen move over for Grosjean.
“Kimi, get out of the f***ing way,” Permane screamed, to which the Ferrari-bound Raikkonen responded: “Don’t shout at me, a**hole”.
It’s one of many wider issues, including non-payment of his salary, which have prompted Raikkonen to leave Lotus at the end of the season and join his old team Ferrari.
