The Lotus Formula One team will have an unchanged line-up next season after they announced that French driver Romain Grosjean will retain his place alongside 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen.

The confirmation came a day after Grosjean won the Race of Champions event in Bangkok, beating Red Bull’s triple champion Sebastian Vettel and seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher along the way.

“Romain is a great talent and we are pleased that he is continuing with us for a second season,” said team principal Eric Boullier.

Lotus finished the 2012 season as the fourth-placed team overall, with Grosjean taking three podium placings and ending the championship eighth overall, while Raikkonen was third in his comeback year.

The decision to stick with Grosjean was expected, although the Frenchman had an erratic season that included a one-race ban for causing a collision in Belgium that put Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso out of the race.

The Lotus seat was the most desirable that had yet to be filled and leaves just two vacancies on the 2013 starting grid – one each at Force India and Caterham.

The seat left vacant at Force India by Germany’s Nico Hulkenberg, who has moved to Sauber, is by far the most coveted with Germany’s Adrian Sutil a frontrunner to return to his former team.

Britain’s Max Chilton, 21, was yesterday confirmed as Marussia’s choice to partner Germany’s Timo Glock, who has retained his seat for 2013, while Russian Vitaly Petrov has been tipped to stay at Caterham.

Brazilian Bruno Senna, Japan’s Kamui Kobayashi and Finland’s Heikki Kovalainen are all 2012 regulars still looking for race seats for 2013.

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