Under-fire Raikkonen backed by Ferrari boss

Victory on his Ferrari debut in Australia was followed by third-place finishes in Malaysia and Bahrain before retirement at the Spanish Grand Prix 10 days ago.

Scroll down to read more:

Going into the race in Barcelona, Raikkonen had a shared of the lead in the drivers' championship but, ahead of Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix, the Finn is fourth behind McLaren duo Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso and team-mate Felipe Massa.

Yet Todt maintains Raikkonen is fast integrating himself into the ways and means of the team, while they in turn understand how the 27-year-old operates.

"Kimi feels very much at ease with the team and vice-versa," said Todt.

"He is a genuine and sincere person, and here he has found an open and co-operative atmosphere. Personally, I get on very well with Kimi.

"I have always liked him both as a driver, and in terms of the way he is out of the cockpit, always remaining the same in what is the difficult world of Formula One."

Raikkonen has had the spotlight taken from him by Massa in the last two races, with the Brazilian comfortably winning both.

After mechanical issues in Melbourne, Massa then lost his cool in Malaysia while under pressure from Hamilton, and at that stage the sceptics were voicing their concerns.

But he has responded brilliantly and now trails leader Hamilton by three points - not that Todt has been surprised.

"Felipe was criticised from outside the team, but definitely not from within it," asserted the Frenchman.

"We knew we could count on him as a winning driver and we are well aware of his abilities, both as a driver and as a man.

"Furthermore, you only have to look at the way he went last year - his first season with a top team, finishing third with two great wins under his belt in Istanbul and Sao Paulo.

"We are not surprised at what he is doing even if others might be."

Yet, Ferrari's reliability this season is so far undermining their tilt in both the drivers' and constructors' championships.

Despite the Maranello team winning three of the four races, Hamilton and Alonso have barely been off the podium, giving the Woking marque a nine-point cushion over their Italian rivals in the team battle.

Todt knows that matter must be addressed quickly, adding: "Reliability is crucial, as indeed it has always been.

"The outcome of this first leg of the championship is positive from a performance point of view, but not so much in terms of reliability.

"At the moment, we are working on both reliability and performance because in Formula One you cannot stop development on the car."

Both are of paramount importance throughout the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, a race Ferrari have remarkably not won since 2001.

Todt is eager to amend that record, saying: "As usual, we have left nothing to chance in our efforts to return to winning ways in this race, which is so special and prestigious."