Raikkonen: ‘The car is still not perfect’

Kimi Raikkonen says his Ferrari “is still not perfect” despite the Finn finishing both Sepang free practice sessions in P2, each time less than four tenths behind the pace-setting Mercedes.

Despite spinning in the afternoon, team-mate Sebastian Vettel also posted strong lap times ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix, which has prompted Lewis Hamilton to claim that both SF15-Ts “look great” around the Sepang International Circuit.

However, the 2007 world champion feels Ferrari still needs to make further improvements, especially on the car’s set-up.

“The whole day has been quite tricky,” said Raikkonen. “The morning was probably a bit easier than the afternoon, but I think we have to work a bit more on the set-up to get it a bit nicer.

“We have to still improve because we are struggling a bit. The car is still not perfect.

“I think we should go faster (but) it’s not a disaster.”

A two-time Malaysian Grand Prix winner (2003, 2008), Raikkonen claimed his maiden success in Formula One at Sepang when the then 23-year-old Finn took the chequered flag aboard his McLaren MP4-17D 12 years ago.

Click here for Friday's gallery from the Malaysian Grand Prix

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter