Kimi Raikkonen says Ferrari need to start taking the opportunities given to them if they are to have to have any chance of catching Mercedes this season.

The Scuderia were tipped for big things ahead of the campaign after topping the timesheets on five of the eight days of testing in Barcelona but have failed to reproduce that form in the opening three races.

Raikkonen himself was forced to retire in Australia due to a turbo problem while team-mate Sebastian Vettel did not even make it to the start line in Bahrain following an engine blow out.

They did finally both finish a race in China last weekend but not without incident, having collided with each other on the first corner in Shanghai.

Although Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton has himself had a few technical problems, things are going swimmingly for colleague Nico Rosberg who has won all three races this season.

Ferrari now have just over a week to perfect their package before the next race in Russia and although Raikkonen admits it is still early days in 2016, he is adamant that they must improve.

“We just have to start making the most points that we can and not having issues in any race, to try and put ourselves in front of [Rosberg],” he is quoted as saying by Planet F1. “I think speed wise we were not too bad, even if I’m not 100 per cent happy.

“[Nico]’s won three races, it’s not ideal – ideal for him but not for the others – but he deserves it. We just have to do a better job now.”

Raikkonen is currently on offer at 17.00 to win in Sochi, with team-mate Vettel priced at 6.50 behind the Mercedes pair of Rosberg and Hamilton, who are the joint 2.25 favourites.