Raikkonen appears on the podium in just the fourth race of his Formula 1 comeback after second place today in Bahrain - Photo Credit: Lorenzo Bellanca/LAT Photographic
Lotus had a great result in Bahrain today, getting both cars onto the podium, with Kimi Raikkonen not far off snatching the race victory from Sebastian Vettel, the eventual winner.
Raikkonen eventually had to settle for second and, whilst he appreciates that this is a great result for his team, the Finn was disappointed that he could not be standing on the top step of the podium today.
“It's a great result for the team and we deserve it as everyone has been working very hard,” said Raikkonen. “To be honest, I'm slightly disappointed we didn't take the win because we had the pace. I only had one chance to overtake Sebastian and unfortunately I chose the wrong side to try and get past.
“If I hadn't made a small mistake at the start and allowed Felipe (Massa) to get through then maybe it would have been a different story, as we spent quite a lot of time fighting with him.
“At the end of the day, it's good to have both cars on the podium, especially after last race which didn't go to plan, but I honestly think we could have taken the victory today.”
Team-mate Romain Grosjean was perfectly happy with his third place. After scoring his first points in Formula 1 last weekend in Shanghai, he was delighted to be amongst the top three so quickly.
“It's a great feeling to get my first podium, and I'm really proud of the whole team for doing an incredible job today,” said the Frenchman. “We've known all season how quick the car can be, but with such a tight field any small mistakes can make a huge difference. Today I think we got everything right, and we've finally been able to prove how competitive we are.
“Last week I was aiming for my first points, this week I was hoping for top five, but here we are on the podium so who knows where we can go from here!
“We can be very happy with what we've achieved today; hopefully we can now head to the Mugello test and find that last bit of to push us right to the top.”
Lotus team principal Eric Boullier was understandably delighted with the result today.
“It was a great team performance today and I'm delighted for everyone, both here in the paddock and back at Enstone,” he said. “The first three races were very frustrating, as we knew we were capable of a result like this. Until now, small details have hindered our performance, so it's almost a relief to finally show what we are capable of.
“We took a bit of a gamble on strategy and I'm pleased to say it paid off. Both drivers put in a fantastic performance, and to have two cars not just on the podium but so closely matched all through the race demonstrates what a strong line-up we have. I'm immensely proud of what we've achieved today.”
