Kimi - Ferrari happier now

Raikkonen: Slump

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Having spent a successful two days testing at Jerez, Kimi Raikkonen hopes Ferrari have put their recent slump in form behind them.

The Scuderia found themselves a distant second best to championship rivals McLaren Mercedes at both the British and German grands prix, sparking reports of a crisis within the team.

However, with the team spending the week testing in Spain ahead of next Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix, Raikkonen expressed guarded optimism that Ferrari could mount a stronger challenge in Budapest.

"We have tried many things and we have a better understanding at least," he told Autosport.

"So the car is better now than it was, but we don't know if it will be the same thing in the next race. There are many question marks still, but we are more happy and more positive."

Time

Raikkonen also brushed aside the question of Lewis Hamilton's lead in the Drivers' Championship, the World Champion confident he has plenty of time to retain his title.

"We are not any more in the lead of the Championship, but that's only been for one race," he said. "Hopefully we can get the car back like it was in the previous races and we should be okay.

"There are many races to go, but for sure McLaren have been strong in the last two races. So we need to get the package right again and try to win races. There is a long way to go."

Raikkonen was third quickest at Jerez during testing on both Wednesday and Thursday.