Kimi Raikkonen's superb comeback season so far

Raikkonen on the podium in fourth race of the season

In order to finish first, first you have to be Finnish. 

The classic saying might not apply in Kimi Raikkonen's case in Bahrain, but it's not too far off either. It didn't take long for the Finn to bounce back on the podium in his comeback year and silence his doubters with a superb 2nd place finish. For those still questioning his motivation, rest assured. Kimi was disappointed with his result and aims higher next time around.

Raikkonen parks the 2nd placed E20 in parc ferme

Back in November, 2011, Lotus shocked the media by confirming that Raikkonen had joined their squad in Enstone in an attempt to resurrect his career and prepare for a Formula 1 comeback.

Now, we all sampled and witnessed the infamous Schumacher comeback in 2010, and were probably all left with a sour taste in our mouths. Schumi's case was a prime example of how much time a sabbatical driver needs upon return to make up some lost ground. Therefore, the skepticism regarding Raikkonen's approach towards his comeback was fully understandable. Add that to pundits questioning his motivation since 2008 and you get quite a big crowd of angry fans doubting his success upon return.

First time on track with the new Lotus E20 and Raikkonen was already shrugging off the criticism after running fastest in the first testing session in Jerez. Even though it was his first time on Pirelli tyres, the Finn quickly felt at home on the very first day. His concerns regarding tyre management rapidly faded and he shifted his focus on the season opener in Australia.

Arriving in Australia, the team had every reason to be confident of a decent result. They were left slightly disappointed after Kimi dropped out of Q1 due to a simple driver and team error during his flying lap. However, the world champion made up for the mistake during the race, where he sliced through the field from 17th to 7th. It quickly became obvious that he lost little of his infamous race craft.

The Malaysian Grand Prix was the race that really put his skills to the test. Mixed conditions, rain, grid penalty and temporary KERS failure were challenging the Lotus driver at every corner. Despite never having driven on the intermediate Pirelli rubber, Raikkonen again cut through the pack like butter, starting 10th and finishing a hugely impressive 5th during only his second race of his comeback season.

In China, he achieved his best grid position since his return. Starting 4th, Kimi had every reason to believe in challenging for a podium. For a while, he was running as high as 2nd, and kept his position until the very last few minutes of the race. However, a bad strategy call left his tyres degrading rapidly, until they were completely gone and the Finn struggled to even keep the car on the road. He was rocketed back to 14th, and was left utterly disappointed after having had the chance to finish on the podium for the first time since 2009.

Bahrain was finally his golden opportunity. Well, silver, in this case. He gambled during qualifying, decided to miss out on Q2 and start from 11th and save some tyres for the race, as rubber management proved to be a crucial element for success during that weekend. In the end, it turned out to be the right call.

Raikkonen and Vettel celebrate on the podium

Raikkonen stormed through the field in a fashion reminiscent of his McLaren years, especially Japan 2005. He was quickly passing everyone in front of him, without a single display of rustiness or clumsy moves as he was banging some wheel-to-wheel action on track with the likes of Alonso, Button, Massa, Webber and Vettel. He managed to catch Vettel at a certain point, but the German was defending his position well and Raikkonen had to settle, in the end, for second position.


His result in Bahrain was proof, if it was needed, that Raikkonen has lost none of his ability during his two year sabbatical. In just his fourth race on the tricky Pirelli rubber - which was his main concern ahead of the start of the season - he was the fastest man on the track in the opening three stints.


One thing is certain about his comeback after only just four races: Kimi Raikkonen hasn't lost a step. In fact, he seems to be in his best form yet and looks far more comfortable at Lotus than he ever felt at Ferrari. 


Don't bet against Raikkonen winning a race this season.