Raikkonen predicts close fight at Fuji

The Finn, 13 points behind championship leader Lewis Hamilton with three races remaining, posted the fastest time in this morning practice but slipped down the order in the afternoon.

Raikkonen could only finish as fifth quickest, nearly a second behind Hamilton.

Despite that, the Ferrari driver believes the battle between the top two teams will be extremely close.

"A good morning followed by a slightly more complicated afternoon," said Raikkonen. "It is quite difficult to find the best set-up on this track, especially for the final sector. This is a demanding track but at the same time it's enjoyable to drive.

"The car was well balanced; in the second session we tried a change to the set-up which did not produce the expected results and so we went back to the previous one. We have to study the data to find the best settings.

"Obviously, it is very early to say where we are compared to our main rivals. But in any case, I think it will be a very close fight."

Felipe Massa was third fastest in the second session, and the Brazilian was left confident Ferrari will be competitive during the weekend.

"On this interesting track, it is not easy to find the right balance between the slower section and long main straight," said Massa. "This morning we were quick and the afternoon, our work was aimed more at the race. We improved the set-up during the day but there is still much to do.

"However, the first impressions are positive and I think we can be competitive."