Stewart hails Raikkonen’s resurgence in Bahrain

Questions were raised when Raikkonen opted to end his two-year sabbatical in the World Rally Championship by returning to F1 with Lotus.

After a subdued start from the Enstone-based team, in which performance failed to live up to potential, Lotus finally came good in Bahrain.

For the first time since the 1979 Spanish Grand Prix, two Lotus drivers finished on the podium, with Raikkonen second to winner Sebastian Vettel, and team-mate Romain Grosjean third.

Three-times champion Stewart, currently a brand ambassador for team owners Genii, said: “It’s a genuinely great performance by a very good team of people who have come together so well.

“It’s not been easy to take over a team, to get them to gel and get them all to come together.

“But it was a great performance, and I’m sure everybody back at Enstone must be out of their mind with joy.

“Kimi’s performance, in particular, after so many people had doubted whether he could come back and be successful, was amazing.

“Most people thought he wouldn’t have the fitness to do a whole race. A lot of people were making those kind of comments.

“So to come back and answer them like he did, and in only his fourth race... and he could have won it, it was that close at one point.

“As for Grosjean, in his first full proper season, it was a very mature drive. He didn’t make any mistakes, stayed out of trouble.

“So I’m thrilled for the whole team, and the other side is that (Lotus founder) Colin Chapman must be pretty pleased up there looking down.

“They’ve hardly had any success since the team broke up, so it’s great, fantastic.”

Team principal Eric Boullier had expressed frustration following the first three races in which his marque had managed just 24 points.

In Bahrain, Raikkonen and Grosjean achieved more than that in just the one race, much to Boullier’s delight.

“I am very happy for the team because they have worked very hard,” he said. “After the frustration we’ve experienced at the start of the season it has finally paid off.

“Now there’s a sort of relief because I’m happy to prove we can do it. To be on the podium with both cars shows we can play for the big points now.”