Kimi Raikkonen admits it is impossible to know just how much Lotus can achieve in future races, but says the team must just keep improving.
Kimi hopeful team can maintain Bahrain momentum
Kimi Raikkonen admits it is impossible to know by just how much Lotus can continue to improve relative to their rivals with the E20, but says the team will strive hard to maintain front-running pace.
After failing to fully deliver on the undoubted promise of their 2012 car in race conditions across the first three races, in Bahrain the Enstone team put an unspectacular qualifying behind them to storm through the field with Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean, the pair eventually finishing second and third respectively to Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.
The double podium was the first for the former Renault team since its last championship-winning year with Fernando Alonso in 2006, but Raikkonen was characteristically unwilling to speculate about what could now be achieved in future races.
Asked if he thought Lotus could maintain their current momentum, the Finn replied: "We will try. It's the same story; I have no idea what's going to happen in the next races but the team's been pushing hard to try to improve the car, bringing new parts, but of course they haven't been working as well as we hoped, but anyhow, they are bringing new updates every time when they can.
"We try to keep pushing and stay up there, but I cannot answer because they are not. That's our aim and that's what we're working for and hopefully it will happen, but who knows how well we can improve or what the others will do.
"The team is doing good work and we deserve to be here and hopefully we can stay up here in other races also."
Whereas fellow former World Champion Michael Schumacher is still awaiting his first podium finish since his return to Formula 1 after three years in retirement in 2010, Raikkonen, who spent the last two years in the World Rally Championship, was back on the rostrum after just four races.
The 18-time Grand Prix winner actually reckons he could have achieved what was his 63rd career top-three finish sooner had the team enjoyed trouble-free races in Australia, Malaysia and China.
"It could have been in the first three races also, not putting ourselves in a bad position and some problems, being a bit smarter than certain teams but we know from the winter that we have a very good car, good baseline package and just have to make the right decisions and put ourselves where the car can be," Raikkonen added.
"This weekend it worked, last weekend it didn't. We know that the speed is there, we just need to try to get everything exactly right."
