Raikkonen sets the pace in Bahrain

Kimi Raikkonen revived Ferrari8217;s spirits on Friday with the fastest laps in free practice for Sunday8217;s Bahrain Grand Prix.

Kimi Raikkonen revived Ferrari8217;s spirits on Friday with the fastest laps in free practice for Sunday8217;s Bahrain Grand Prix. The Finn, who surrendered the overall lead to McLaren8217;s double world champion Fernando Alonso in Malaysia last weekend, limbered up for the next battle by topping the timesheets in both sessions.

However McLaren, fresh from their first win since 2005, showed they remained on the pace with British rookie Lewis Hamilton again in impressive form. The 22-year-old was the fastest non-Ferrari driver in action on Friday, third behind Raikkonen and Brazilian Felipe Massa in the morning and a very close second to the Finn in the afternoon.

8220;It8217;s too early to say where everyone stands, but the performance levels of the top teams seems to be very close,8221; said Raikkonen. 8220;It was difficult to find the right balance of the car, partly because at this track the wind makes the car difficult to drive.8221;

After a sensational start to his Formula One career, with third place in Melbourne and second in Sepang, Hamilton can make Formula One history on Sunday as the first driver to finish his first three races on the podium. 8220;I think today went quite well, better than the Friday in Malaysia,8221; the Briton told reporters. 8220;I think we made some steps forward from the test we had here a few months ago. We seem to be quite consistent and a little bit closer to Ferrari.

8220;I feel quite optimistic for tomorrow, I think we8217;ve definitely got the pace for that one lap,8221; he added, looking forward to Saturday8217;s qualifying. 8220;We8217;ve definitely got the potential to qualify on the front row, but we have to wait and see.8221;

Alonso was also on the pace, fourth in the first session and fifth in the second. The Spaniard had warned on Thursday that Ferrari, dominant in Australia and in pre-season testing in Bahrain, remained the team to beat despite McLaren8217;s early advantage in both championships.

Alonso leads Raikkonen, winner in Melbourne, by two points after two races. McLaren are also ahead of Ferrari at the top of the constructors8217; standings.