Lotus boss Eric Boullier believes that his team is still in the hunt for the Formula 1 World Championship, despite Kimi Raikkonen's failure to fight for victory in the Belgian Grand Prix.
Raikkonen had gone into the Spa weekend as a popular pick for the win, but his setup choices left him unable to pose a serious threat to race victor Jenson Button and he could only finish third. Nevertheless, Boullier maintains his faith in Lotus's potential, and is sure a good end to the campaign could still result in Raikkonen becoming champion.
"I believe in myself that he can fight for the title, definitely," explained Boullier, whose second driver Romain Grosjean is banned for the next race in Italy following the first corner crash in Belgium. "It is up to us to give him a good car and not miss any opportunity, but Kimi does not miss much.
"If you are scoring podiums every weekend then he is going to be in the position to fight for the title. He has three podiums in the last four races and even if he does not have the best car, he is still right there."
Boullier also believes that Raikkonen did the best that could have been expected of him in Spa, including a spectacular overtaking move past Michael Schumacher into Eau Rouge.
"I think you can appreciate it, because the fight with Michael was amazing," he said. "He was very serious, and he did not miss any opportunity."