The Finn was ahead of teammate Sebastian Vettel in Q1 and Q2, but came up well short of matching the German in the final segment of the first qualifying of F1 2017.

Raikkonen was almost six tenths adrift of Vettel at the flag and will start right a row back from his teammate in Sunday's race.

"All of my laps were not very good," Raikkonen said after the session. "I just didn't put any decent laps together.

"It was a bit messy after the first run. It wasn't exactly how we should have done it from my side and we're also catching up a bit and never really got it together.

"It's a bit disappointing but we're still fourth, so it's the first qualifying done and we go from there."

Asked whether Vettel splitting the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas on the grid was an encouraging sign for Ferrari, Raikkonen said: "Yes, if you put the lap together.

"We have, for sure, a pretty good package – we have work to be done, but that's the same for everybody.

"This is a very special place, here, so let's wait and see when we get to the normal circuits. So far it's okay.

"Obviously it was not an ideal day from my side, but we go from here."

Results "a matter of time"

Even though it could not deny Mercedes pole for the 2017 season opener, Ferrari has clearly begun this year's campaign in stronger shape than the year before.

And for Raikkonen, Ferrari's current upturn in form is not necessarily down to any off-season changes.

"Mostly we have the same people, those changes had been done earlier," the Finn said. "Obviously it takes a while to find the right way to work but I think we've been doing, for quite a while already, very good things as a team.

"Results haven't really come yet. Hopefully this year we can bring the results, but we've been working very well. I said that many times last year, but when you don't have the results that you want, then people are questioning a lot of things.

"I'm sure we're doing things right, so it's just a mater of time before we get the results."

Additional reporting by Roberto Chinchero