Lotus team principal Eric Boullier believes Romain Grosjean is capable of winning world championships in the right car.

14412 - Grosjean is capable of winning championships - Boullier

Grosjean first raced in Formula One in 2009 but had to deal with an uncompetitive Renault and Fernando Alonso as his team-mate. In 2010 was dropped by the team and settled for a drive in the GT1 Series while working part time in a Swiss bank. In 2011, however, he won the GP2 title with Boullier's old team DAMS and that gave him the credentials to secure his current drive with Lotus in F1.

At last weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix he took his first podium at the top level and Boullier thinks he has the potential to achieve a lot more.

"You know what impressed me most, more than just the podium finish, was his speed and his racing," Boullier was quoted by AFP."More than the podium finish, what was impressive is the fact that he finished so close to Kimi and just 10 seconds behind Sebastian Vettel.

"I was not expecting to have both drivers to finish so close together and that is good for us and for him. It means that he is now capable and ready to compete at the highest level. He has the speed and the talent to be world champion one day."

Lotus appears to have a car capable of wins this season, but Boullier said success in 2012 would be dictated by each team's understanding of the tyres.

"It is key to get your car into a position where you can exploit the tyres in the right way," he added. "It makes no sense to try and bring a couple of tenths from downforce if you don't understand the tyres - because this year you can lose a lot more. But you have to keep developing the car if you want to keep contact with the top teams."