Although Fernando Alonso was disappointed not to win the Australian GP, the Ferrari driver concedes Kimi Raikkonen was flawless on the day.
Using a three-stop strategy, Alonso was not able to take the fight to Raikkonen as the raced towards the chequered flag in Australia.
The Spaniard, though, still managed to bring his car home in second place, securing 18 points towards his title campaign.
"It was a fantastic race for us, fighting all through the race," said Alonso.
"A big thanks to the fans all weekend, we felt sad yesterday when we postponed qualifying because the fans were there in the grandstands in the rain.
"Today we had to put a good show for everyone and I think we did it. The race had action every lap. I personally enjoyed it.
"At the end, I was sad not to be able to win the race, but Kimi was fantastic and we need to congratulate them for a fantastic race."
It was, however, a welcome result for Ferrari, who suffered last season when their 2012 challenger proved to be woefully off the pace. This year the Italian stable's F138 is proving to be one of the pace-stters.
"We had a difficult start of season two years ago and last year, too, and this year is very different.
"We feel much more comfortable, the car is responding well and we have a good season ahead of us.
"We only have five days to prepare for the next race but we will again be a tough opponent."
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