Ferrari say they have the edge over F1 rivals

By Alan Baldwin

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Ferrari put clear distance between them and their Formula One rivals after notching up their third win in a row in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix.

World champion Kimi Raikkonen's second win of the season, and Ferrari's second successive one-two finish, put the Italian team well clear of the rest in both the drivers' and constructors' standings.

"Usually the Spanish Grand Prix is the litmus test for the pecking order down the grid after the first run of races outside Europe," said Ferrari's head of track activities Luca Baldisserri in a team review of the race.

"From what we saw, it seems we are maintaining a slight advantage, which means we can be reasonably confident about the rest of the season so long as we don't make any mistakes and continue to develop the car."

Raikkonen celebrated a hat-trick, only the second of his career, by adding the fastest lap to the race win and pole position.

The Finn is now nine points clear of McLaren's Lewis Hamilton while Ferrari have 47 points to BMW Sauber's 35.

TEAM TO BEAT