Raikkonen upbeat about McLaren form

The Finn driver posted the fastest time of the year so far in a V8 engine at the Spanish track as his team continued making progress following the engine problems which hindered them early on.

Today's test was the first time Raikkonen managed to complete more than a race distance without any problems. He completed 96 laps.

The McLaren driver was very happy with his day and admitted he feels confident the team are going in the right direction.

"It is definitely looking better than a few weeks ago," Raikkonen told autosport.com at the end of the day. "It is hard to say exactly where we are, but for once I did two race distances and the engine was still going.

"I think it's a good car. It's better than last year. It's difficult to compare because of the different engine and aero level but is quicker. We have to see where we car in Bahrain.

"We still have a lot of work to do, but I'm happier now we have done race distances and it's nice to see myself being quick in the short and long runs.

"We are definitely going in the right way."