A resurgent Kimi Raikkonen sees no reason why Ferrari can not win this year 's Formula One world title race . Following a torrid campaign with the team in 2014 , Raikkonen finally has a car to his liking at Ferrari this season , with the Finn looking far more like his old competitive self . Only qualifying issues have denied Raikkonen better results so far this term , with the 35-year-old knocking on the door of his first podium place for 19 months after finishing fourth in the last two races . Kimi Raikkonen finished fourth at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on Sunday . Ferrari have proved more competitive in the first three races of this season than they were last year . At the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday , Raikkonen was reeling in team-mate Sebastian Vettel and may well have claimed third but for a late safety car . Although Vettel and Raikkonen were comfortably adrift of Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg at that stage , the Finn is confident Ferrari can catch and regularly beat their German rivals . ' I do n't see a reason why not , ' said Raikkonen . 'We have made big gains and we will continue to make big gains during this year . 'Obviously everybody will improve , so it depends what the rest are doing , but we are definitely going the right way and doing the right things . 'It is about being patient . We need time , we can not make miracles overnight . Sebastian Vettel finished on the podium for the third time this season at the Chinese Grand Prix . 'Sebastian showed we can win ( in Malaysia last month ) , but it depends as one circuit may be better for one team and the next could be a different story . 'We just need to be up there when something happens to them , or the conditions change , but I really feel on speed we will get there to regularly beat them . ' Raikkonen recognises , though , he needs to do better in qualifying on Saturday if he is to thrust himself into the hunt for the title . An error at the Shanghai International Circuit resulted in Raikkonen starting sixth , and although he passed Williams duo Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa on lap one , he could do no more . Raikkonen sees no reason why Ferrari can not challenge for the title this season . 'After my mistake fourth was more or less maximum , ' added Raikkonen . ' I probably could have tried ( to pass Vettel ) at least , but there was a safety car at the end . It is what it is . 'After what happened on Saturday we at least gained some positions and we had a pretty good car . 'But we are not happy . We have to make Saturdays more correct as it gives you bigger chances and an easier life in the race . 'It does n't help when you put yourself in a more difficult position for the race , especially one where it is never easy to overtake . '
Ferrari finished disappointing fourth in the constructors ' standings in 2014 . They improved this season and are second to Mercedes after three races . Kimi Raikkonen won the second race of the season in Malaysia last month . Sebastian Vettel sees no reason why Ferrari can not challenge for the title . CLICK HERE for all the latest F1 news .