Ferrari cannot compete with current car - Raikkonen

By Nick Mulvenney

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Ferrari must make their car quicker as soon as possible or risk racing among the also-rans for the rest of the season, Kimi Raikkonen said on Saturday.

The Italian team, constructors' champions last year, have made their worst start for 17 years with no points from the first two races of the season.

The 2007 world champion told reporters on Friday the team simply could not compete for the championship at the moment and the Finn had not changed his mind after qualifying eighth for Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix.

"Of course I'm not happy with eighth place but, given our current potential, we have to settle for this," said Raikkonen.

"The problem is the same, we are just not quick enough. The car isn't handling badly but we are giving away a second to the best. I hope we will get some developments quickly but, in the meantime, we will try to do our best with what we've got."

What Raikkonen and his team mate Felipe Massa have got is a car without the KERS energy recovery system or the split-level rear diffuser used to such telling effect by several teams at the top of the constructors' standings.

The team decided to dispense with KERS on Thursday, much to the disappointment of Massa who failed to get into the final round of qualifying and will line up on the seventh row of the grid for Sunday's race.

"Not having KERS is definitely a handicap in my case, especially in qualifying," said the Brazilian, who was just pipped to the title by McLaren's Lewis Hamilton last season.