Kimi happy with fourth on grid

The Finn, who has only managed to score one point all season, reckoned a top three position was there for the taking, and thinks he can make an impact in Sunday's race.

"Our best qualifying performance this season, so I'm satisfied," said Raikkonen. "We were even hoping to get in the first three with a perfect lap, but whilst we were close it wasn't to be.

"Now one half of the job has been done, and we need to see what happens in the race, but so far it's looking good. The circuit seems to suit our car as we have showed improvement throughout the weekend, but there is still a race to complete."

Team principal Ron Dennis was pleased for Raikkonen, but disappointed with David Coulthard's Mercedes engine failure in pre-qualifying, which means he will start from the back of the grid.

"We have been going well so far here at the Nurburgring, so David's engine failure was disappointing as I believe we had the package to have two cars in the top six," said Dennis. "Our race strategy should allow both Kimi and David to perform strongly. The team's performance is improving step by step, and we remain focused and committed to continue to enhance our competitiveness."