Kimi Raikkonen backed to lead Lotus F1 comeback

Boullier believes that the 2007 world champion's experience means that he will give the team the clear direction that it needs to deliver on its potential.

"Clearly, he brings a commitment to winning and he knows what he wants," said Boullier. "He is a proper racer and fits in well with a team that is a bunch of proper racers.

"When he is in the car, he knows exactly what he wants and that makes the team's life easier.

"It means more ambition and more responsibility [for the team] but it is also a different way of working with a world champion. He wants to win again and that's an ambition that we share."

Boullier also believes that it will be easy for him to get the best out of Raikkonen during 2012 and that the Finn proved how committed he is during two days of running in a 2010 Renault at Valencia last month.

This is despite question marks over the Finn's motivation to race in F1 after two years in the World Rally Championship.

"How difficult will it be to me?" he said when asked about motivating Raikkonen. "For me, very easy.

"It was an easy discussion [to sign him up] and when he did the couple of days running he showed the team how motivated and professional he is.

"It was a huge boost for the team morale and the team motivation."