Raikkonen admits McLaren now quicker

While McLaren's Lewis Hamilton recovered from a less-than-ideal strategy to charge through from fourth and claim a memorable victory, Ferrari duo Felipe Massa and Raikkonen could only finish third and sixth.

When asked if the Hockenheim results meant that McLaren were now the quicker team, Raikkonen replied: "It looks like it."

"Definitely this weekend they were very strong," he added. "Also in the last race they were very good. Hopefully we will find the solution for our problems and we will be back where we should be."

The reigning champion said he had never been able to get his Ferrari to his liking at Hockenheim.

"It's not exactly what we were hoping for," said Raikkonen. "It was pretty difficult all the way through. Then in the end the car was a bit better but it was very difficult for the whole weekend. We need to look and find an improvement.

"I don't know whether it the set-up or what, but we had difficult handling all weekend and it was harder in the race in the beginning.

"We improved at the end, but we must look in the test and find a solution and just work and improve because this weekend has been very difficult. Unfortunately we lost some points, but that's racing, we need to just look forward and not worry about it too much.

"Sure in the testing we will try to find the solutions to the problems we have had this weekend - it was a very difficult weekend. But after a race like this we just have to work hard and improve."

In the final stint after the safety car Raikkonen produced a series of assertive passing moves to get ahead of Nico Rosberg, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Jarno Trulli and Robert Kubica, but felt this late charge was more a case of damage limitation than a cause for celebration.

"It was good, but without those (passes) we would have ended up with an even worse position!" he said. "We lost some points to Hamilton and Massa but there are still plenty of races, as long as we find some solutions. But of course it doesn't make it any easier."