Raikkonen taking "way too long" to find form in 2017

Raikkonen looked a match for Vettel late on in the 2016 Formula 1 season, but has struggled to replicate that form in the new year.

He has been outqualified and outraced by the German, in all three grands prix of 2017 so far and, while Vettel has won two races and leads the championship, Raikkonen has yet to stand on the podium.

After the third round in Bahrain, the Finn admitted his disappointment at having yet to make up his early-season gap to Vettel.

“To be honest, it takes way too long,” Raikkonen said. “You know, we're supposed to get it right straight away, and obviously we haven't.

“A lot of reasons but it didn't help last race [China], not driving the first day. At least when you're going through some issues, you want to get track time.”

Raikkonen, who struggled with understeer in Australia and in China, says the problems holding him back were “much less” prevalent in Bahrain.

“I'm pretty happy with the car now,” he said. “I feel that we are doing the absolutely right things.

"And in the race [on Sunday] I felt the car was very good, but I made a mess in the first lap, putting ourselves in a difficult position.”

Having now gone through another underwhelming grand prix weekend since his form was publicly questioned by Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne in Shanghai, Raikkonen insists he has made progress – even if the results haven't reflected it.

He added: “It's just the small things now, in the big picture we are pretty much where we want to be - it's just that we need to fine-tune a few things.

“I don't think it's the big things but obviously it has cost us. [It's] taking too long, but nobody to complain [to], it's my job.

“Overall, yes, we are much happier with the things, but I cannot be very happy with the result even this weekend. It's all big picture - when you look, it's been disappointing.”

Additional reporting by Ben Anderson