Kimi Raikkonen will, as expected, continue racing with Lotus next year. It follows a successful comeback season for the Finn, who lies third in the championship on the back of six podium finishes and point-scoring results in all but one 2012 round.

Raikkonen, world champion with Ferrari in 2007, joined Lotus on a two-year deal last November and with performance criteria on both sides no doubt having been met, the team released a promotional video on Monday indicating that the partnership will indeed continue.

“I think my return to Formula One has gone pretty well and the team has done a very good job all year so far,” said Raikkonen in a subsequent team statement. “To be honest, I didn’t expect to be fighting for the drivers’ championship this season when you look at where the team was in 2011, so it has been great to be on the podium so many times and to score points on a regular basis.

“I feel very comfortable with Lotus F1 Team and we share the same philosophy of racing. Continuing with the team was an obvious choice for me and I’m looking forward to making another step forward together next year.”

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