Kimi Raikkonen says Ferrari is "more or less there" in the fight with Mercedes for victory in Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix.
Following victory in Malaysia, Ferrari was the centre of attention in China to see if it could repeat its level of competitiveness despite lower temperatures. While Raikkonen was the best part of half a second slower than Hamilton on the soft tyre laps, the long runs were much more competitive and despite his reluctance to make predictions the Finn is encouraged by the pace.
"We will see tomorrow, it is hard to say," Raikkonen said. "We still have things to improve and you never know what happens tomorrow. We had some problems but we managed to fix them quickly and do more or less what we wanted today. I think it was what we expected more or less.
"The morning was not so easy because we found some small issues, then when we went out in the afternoon we had some problems with the brakes and we had to change them. The mechanics did a good job changing the brakes, but we managed to do more or less what we wanted to do. We are happy to go tomorrow and do our best.
"I think we seem to be more or less there. We will do our best tomorrow and see where we end up ... We tested in cooler conditions and it worked well."
However, Raikkonen says Ferrari will only remain a threat if it enjoys another smooth day on Saturday.
"We have to wait and see. We need to do another good day tomorrow and avoid any issues and problems, qualify good and then see what we can do in the race."
By Chris Medland in Shanghai
Click here for Friday's gallery from the Chinese Grand Prix
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Fernando Alonso braved both physical agony and mechanical challenges in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix,…
Alpine’s remarkable double podium at the São Paulo Grand Prix with Esteban Ocon and Pierre…
Alexander Albon, Williams (Did Not Start): 5.5/10 Alex Albon is definitely going through something of…
Jos Verstappen wasted no time after his son spectacular win at the São Paulo Grand…
Charles Leclerc's weekend in Sao Paulo was unfortunately a stark contrast to Ferrari's recent triumphs…
Twelve years ago on this day, Kimi Raikkonen took a popular win at the 2012…