Bahrain GP: Mercedes-engined Formula 1 teams are in a 'different class' - Raikkonen

Raikkonen lined up fifth, but made a bad start and survived two contact incidents to end up 10th in the final classification, just behind team-mate Fernando Alonso and over 30 seconds adrift of the winning Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.

The 2007 world champion said he could not blame his poor result on contact with Kevin Magnussen's McLaren, nor a later incident with Daniil Kvyat's Toro Rosso, because the customer Mercedes cars were just too fast for Ferrari on the straights.

"The Mercedes cars seemed to be able to pass us very easily on the straightlines. One Force India got me on the exit of corner eight and it was like a different class," said Raikkonen.

"I was surprised. He came out of the pitlane but I had only done a few laps on the tyres. I went OK out of the corner and he just came inside of me and went past; I had no answer.

"And the next corner he had massive traction also, so it's not just the horsepower."

Both Ferrari drivers reckoned the back end of the top 10 was probably the best Ferrari could have managed in Bahrain, given the F14 T's current performance deficit.

"We are ninth and 10th and we didn't have a crash or any problems. We are ninth and 10th because that's what we could do today," added Alonso.

"I won this grand prix three times. It's not that I forgot how to drive here.

"We are ninth and 10th because there were eight people who were better than us.

"We want to change this as soon as possible and that needs to start in China.

"We have a test here, I will drive the two days and I won't rest until the situation changes."