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'More to come' from Lotus - Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen speaks to the media after the Abu Dhabi GP © Getty Images

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• Race:
• United States Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Kimi Räikkönen

• Teams:
• Lotus F1

Kimi Raikkonen thinks there is more to come from Lotus following his maiden win with the team in Abu Dhabi last weekend.

Raikkonen praised Lotus' rate of development and its decision to re-sign him for the 2013 season as well as promising more going forward.

"It's a pretty good to show that everyone's made the right choice," Raikkonen said. "We've shown all season how good we can be, and in Abu Dhabi we showed we can win. There is more to come. I promise.

"We had a period where new developments for the car weren't working exactly as we wanted straight away and when you have to test new parts during practice sessions, it's very difficult to make progress. We continued with the exhaust developments we made during practice in Korea and India and the pace was promising all weekend in Abu Dhabi.

"I think we had a good idea that we could be competitive if we could just get qualifying right, which has been the big issue all season long. This time though, we got it right."

Although Lotus is expecting a "sterner test" for its E20 car at the US Grand Prix next weekend, Raikkonen is looking forward to competing on the Austin circuit.

"I don't know anything about Austin just the name Circuit of the Americas," Raikkonen said. "I have always liked to go to new places as it adds a bit of additional excitement. I'm particularly looking forward to this one. I like the American atmosphere, it's a relaxed environment; they know how to have fun and most of all, they love racing.

"Last year I tried NASCAR. I did two races on the Charlotte oval and I really liked it. After seeing the excitement of the American NASCAR fans I hope Formula 1 gets people as eager to enjoy our racing in Texas, too."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.