Sebastian Vettel has leapt to the defence of his Ferrari teammate.

With Sochi marking Kimi Raikkonen's first podium finish of the year, it remains to be seen if this, and subsequent performances, is enough to convince Ferrari to retain the 2007 world champion for another season.

Though fourth in the driver standings, his performances, particularly in China, where company president Sergio Marchionne was present, have led to fears that the Maranello outfit might drop the Finn at season end.

However, in the wake of a convincing performance in Russia, which saw Raikkonen on the podium alongside his Ferrari teammate, Sebastian Vettel has leapt to his defence insisting that the results don't show the true picture.

"He probably didn't have the races he deserved," said the German, according to Motorsport.com. "In Bahrain obviously the start, the first lap cost him a lot, otherwise I'm sure he would've been on the podium.

"I see exactly what happens," he continued, "and things didn't go 100% in his direction so far but I don't think there's any doubt inside the paddock that he's one of the most talented drivers we have.

"I don't think anybody else could go to WRC and perform at the level he did, just come back and be right up to the pace again," he added. "I don't think there's anyone who doubts his skills or his talent but, as I said, you need to have a lot of things coming your way. If you look back last year, I had some races where things didn't come my way, it's up and down but usually throughout the season it sort of equals out."