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ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- In a rare outburst, Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen on Friday criticized the team for not paying his salary this season and threatened to skip the final two races of the season in protest. Minkah Fitzpatrick Jersey . Speaking after the second practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the former F1 champion said he had to be persuaded to race here and added that he is still upset about a tense exchange with a member of the technical staff at last weekends Indian GP. "Sometimes it is not very nice when you hear that you are not really a team player, and you dont have the interests of the team (at heart) -- but you have been paid zero euro(s) the whole year," said Raikkonen, who is usually reluctant to speak to media. Raikkonen, who is joining Ferrari next season, added that he would consider skipping the United States GP and Brazilian GP if he does not receive his money. "For sure. I enjoy racing, I enjoy driving, but a big part of it is business. Sometimes when that is not dealt with like it should we end up in an unfortunate situation," he said. "You have to put the line somewhere, and if it goes over that ... it is not really my fault." Raikkonens comments came just hours after Lotus chairman Gerard Lopez has played down the rift between Raikkonen and trackside operations director Alan Permane last Sunday. In blunt terms, Raikkonen was told over the race radio by Permane not to hold up teammate Romain Grosjean. Raikkonen skipped media duties on Thursday, which fueled speculation about growing unrest, and the 34-year-old Finnish driver confirmed that he came close not to racing in Abu Dhabi. "I came here only because hopefully we found an understanding on the certain issues we have been having," Raikkonen said. "Hopefully it will be fixed and we can finish the season as well as we can." Although the argument with Permane was not the main factor in his decision to speak out, Raikkonen said it did upset him. "It is a part of it. It is true those things should not happen but they have happened," Raikkonen said. "(But) that is not really the issue. It is all the other stuff." The 2007 champion is also annoyed that his loyalty to the team has been questioned despite him racing without pay. "It doesnt put you in the best place," he said. "That is how it goes and hopefully, like I said, we found an understanding on both sides on how we should deal with the situation right now." Only hours earlier, Lopez insisted all was fine. "Recently a lot was made about the comments between Alan Permane and Kimi during the course of a tense moment in a race, but this was just one exchange taking a matter of seconds in the course of a two-year relationship," Lopez said Friday. "It certainly wasnt the most beneficial few seconds, but you have to step back and accept that everyone is passionate about racing and sometimes these things do happen." Lopez did acknowledge, however, that the financial situation was poorly handled. "For a long time we had the opportunity to keep him in our hands, but we werent able to operate to the timeframe -- or make the offer -- that Ferrari were able to do," Lopez said. "For me this brought sadness, as its like a prodigal son leaving us." Lopez also praised the influence that Raikkonen has had on Grosjean -- the Frenchman who has hit form late into the season with three consecutive third-place finishes. "Had Romain been next to a more junior driver, or a less capable driver, we probably would still not know how good Romain is," Lopez said. "For Romain to be delivering the results he is doing so now, its really very much because he is driving next to probably one of the best Formula One drivers ever. Kimi has been a tremendous help." Lotus still has an outside shot at finishing second behind Red Bull in the constructors championship. Mercedes, with 313 points, and Ferrari, with 309, are in a stronger position while Lotus stands at 285. "The only reason were fighting for second is because of all the points that Kimi has scored," Lopez said. Raikkonen is third overall behind Fernando Alonso and recently-crowned world champion Sebastian Vettel. Dan Marino Jersey . Luis Enrique signed the deal with club president Josep Bartomeu two days after it was announced by the club. That was two days after coach Gerardo Martino stepped down when Barcelona finished its first season without a major trophy in six years. Bob Griese Youth Jersey . -- Another baseball tradition is about to largely disappear: a manager, with a crazed look in his eyes, charging the field and getting into a face-to-face shouting match with an umpire. http://www.dolphinsrookiestore.com/Dolphins-Bob-Griese-Jersey/ .ca. In addition to the game being aired in its entirety on CTV Two Vancouver Island and TSN.ca, TSN2 will also have coverage of Whitecaps FC immediately following NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Toyota Owners 400.LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland -- Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway retook the lead in the overall World Cup standings Wednesday by placing fifth in a downhill won by Olympic champion Matthias Mayer of Austria. Svindal earned 45 points to move 41 ahead of two-time defending overall champion Marcel Hirscher of Austria, who skips downhills. "If I had to put money on someone I have no idea who it would be," said Svindal, who will race against Hirscher in a super-G on Thursday. Mayer earned his first career World Cup win in one minute, 29.99 seconds, 0.11 faster than Christof Innerhofer of Italy and American Ted Ligety, who tied for second. Svindal was 0.20 seconds behind Mayer. Mayer and Innerhofer finished 1-2 in the downhill at the Sochi Olympics. "Its very important," Mayer said of his win. "It was a target for me to win a World Cup race this year. Its perfect." Manuel Osborne-Paradis of North Vancouver, B.C., was 13th while Erik Guay of Mont-Tremblant was 19th but finished the season a career-best third in the overall standings despite persistent knee issues. "Theres no question it was a successful year in downhill," Guay said. "With no skiing throughout the summer and having those knee difficulties in January, there have been a lot of ups and downs. To finish third overall is great. "I feel like I could have been competitive for the Crystal Globe if Id been healthy. Its a little bit of a bummer to finish on this note but finishing third overall gives me (hope) for next year." Osborne-Paradis was ranked 18th in downhill while Calgarys Jan Hudec, who sat out Wednesdays race due to a back injury, was 24th. On Thursday, Guay and Osborne-Paradis will conclude their World Cup seasons in the super-G. Osborne-Paradis will return to Canada to defend his national downhill title in Whistler, B. Christian Wilkins Jersey. C., later this month, Guay, though, will head home to Quebec, where his wife, Karen, is expecting their third child. "The super-G is going to feel fast, it will be interesting," Osborne-Paradis said. "Im going to ski hard and hope for the best. "Ive got nothing to lose so Im going to push my line and take what Ive learned from today. Ill see what I can get away with." Ligetys career-best result in downhill lifted him to third in the overall standings. His previous best in downhill was fourth, in 2007 at Lenzerheide where the steep, twisting course suits his technical skills. "This is a hill I know I have a good chance on," said Ligety, the world champion in super-G. "I also dont count on this carrying through to other races on the World Cup downhill tour." Svindal, a two-time overall champion, already clinched his second straight season-long downhill title before the World Cup Finals. "I used to be 1-2-3 every race, and now Im 4-5-6," said the Norwegian, who has finished just off the podium since the Olympics. "But Marcel is too." Manuel Osborne-Paradis of North Vancouver, B.C., was 13th and Erik Guay of Mont-Tremblant, Que., was last among the 19 skiers who finished the race. Svindal is scheduled to start the giant slalom on Saturday, but skip Sundays season-ending slalom which is typically Hirschers best event. American Bode Miller seemed poised for victory Wednesday until going wide near the end of his run. He placed eighth, 0.62 behind Mayer. Several racers found trouble on the hard, bumpy snow despite the clear, sunny conditions. Austrian Georg Streitberger twisted in the air while crashing when more than a half-second ahead of Mayer midway down. ' ' '