Kimi Raikkonen has admitted that he is hoping to solve his Ferrari's handling problems after claiming that he couldn't post a good lap during Friday practice at the Russian Grand Prix.

After finishing the first session of the day in eighth position, the 34-year-old ended FP2 two seconds slower than the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton in 11th place.

However, Raikkonen is adamant that his lack of performance is down to the car's handling at the front end.

He told reporters: "This first day of practice was given over to learning the track, which I like and although it's new, the grip level was good. In the first session, we went through our programme step by step, even if towards the end of the session I was unable to complete my last run.

"In the afternoon, we focused on tyre behaviour, with both compounds taking a long time to reach the maximum performance, which is unusual, especially for the Soft tyre. In order to have a clearer picture on this topic, we will have to wait for the track to evolve.

"Unfortunately, here too I still don't feel comfortable with the front end and this prevented me from putting together a good lap. Now, along with the team, we will try and find a solution that will allow me to get the most out of the car."

Raikkonen is 11th in the drivers' standings on 45 points.