Raikkonen Laments Qualifying Problems

Although Raikkonen grabbed McLaren's first podium of the season, with stand-in driver Pedro de la Rosa finishing fifth, the potential of both men was heavily compromised by their lowly grid positions which meant they lost valuable time in the race overtaking slower rivals.

"I think we have some difficulties in qualifying," said Raikkonen. "I am not 100 percent happy with the car because we don't get the speed out of it, but in the race it seems to be okay, we are much happier and we can go quicker.

"In the race I got stuck behind other cars and I just waited and waited for them to go into the pits. Then it was going okay, I was catching Mark Webber and pushing when he spun off. After that I was too far away from the cars in front and just came slowly along."

He added: "The car is good in the race but we are too far away at that point when it is good."

Raikkonen's afternoon was not without its dramas, however, thanks to a brief run over a kerb and a radio problem that nearly meant he ran out of fuel because he could not hear the team telling him to come into the pits for a stop.

"I just went over the kerb a little bit and asked the team if they could see anything, but it was okay," he said. "Then the pit board numbers did not make any sense so I looked a few times and thought I should come in. I was close to running out of petrol."