Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen has revealed he will miss the final two races of the season, meaning the 2007 Formula One world champion has driven his last race for Lotus.

The 34-year-old – who will drive for Ferrari next year – is to undergo back surgery bringing to an end what has been a fractious relationship with the team that offered him a second chance in Formula One last year.

Things came to a head last weekend at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when a fed up Raikkonen, who is third in the overall standings, arrived saying he had not been paid all year and unless that was put right he would boycott the last two races of the campaign.

His race lasted only till the first corner – he had been demoted to the back of the grid owing to a technical infringement in qualifying – but he left saying that the problem over his wages had been resolved.

The team will make an announcement about the replacement driver for the S and Brazilian Grands Prix in due course.