Raikkonen Positive after Promising Start

Finn Kimi Raikkonen was pleased with his progress in Friday's practice for the Austrian Grand Prix, but the McLaren driver refused to predict where they will be in Saturday's qualifying at the A1-Ring despite some improvements to their cars.

"I'm feeling quite positive after today's two sessions as we got through a lot of work," said Raikkonen after practice. "We have made some small improvements since the last race but how much we will benefit we can only see tomorrow."

Raikkonen, who is aiming to finish his second race of the season in Austria after four consecutive retirements, posted the fourth fastest time with the Michelin-shod MP4-17, outpacing teammate David Coulthard by more than half a second.

The Scot driver, winner of the Austrian Grand Prix last year, was only ninth quickest after both practice sessions, and like his teammate, Coulthard was not sure about his team's chances during the weekend.

"We went trough a comprehensive tyre comparison programme and completed a vast number of laps," said Coulthard. "The track was rather slippery so you had to be cautious not be caught out on the dirt left by other cars going off. We are not yet where we want to be and it's difficult to estimate where we are compared to the rest."