Raikkonen says he has equal status with Vettel at Ferrari

Speculation that Sebastian Vettel has assumed number one status at Ferrari appear to be wide off the mark according to Kimi Raikkonen.

Speaking to media ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend Raikkonen revealed, “The team gives me and Sebastian the same chances and obviously we try to beat each other for the Drivers’ championship, but in a good and fair way, in the interest of the team.

“The car package is quite good this year and the we’re all working very well together. It is clear that we also want to win the manufacturers’ title and for this purpose, having two cars always there in the points is crucial.”

“It was nice to have a good result in Bahrain and now we keep working always with the same approach, always trying to improve,” said the 2007 F1 world champion who, after a long absence, returned to the podium with second place in Bahrain

Like his teammate Sebastian Vettel, Raikkonen is playing down the team’s upgrades which they will be bolting on to the SF15-T in Spain, “Here we have some upgrades but we don’t know what the others are doing, so let’s wait and see what’s happening in the next races.”

“Compared to Mercedes there have been improvements, but we know we’re still behind. We need to work to further improve the whole package,” added Raikkonen.