Kimi Räikkönen has rejected claims by Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne, after he said the Finn is a "bit of a laggard" and must try harder to get on a level with team-mate Sebastian Vettel.
Räikkönen has less than half the points of championship leader Vettel and currently sits fifth in the standings, behind Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.
The 2007 champion has often been quicker than Vettel in qualifying, but has failed to make progress in the race, often finishing lower than where he started – although some of that can be attributed to problems during the race outside of his control.
Marchionne hinted that Räikkönen must show an improvement if he's to keep his seat next season.
"I think Kimi has got to show a higher level of commitment to the process," the FCA Chairman said on Sunday in Austria.
"There are days when I think he's a bit of a laggard, but we'll see. I am going to talk to him, we'll see what happens.
"All options are on the table," he added. "We will continue discussing with Kimi."
Räikkönen has rejected such claims though, insisting he is doing all he can for himself and the team.
"Obviously I want to do well," replied Räikkönen. "My team wants to do well, and I can only do the best that I can. It's not like I'm not trying.
"Unfortunately it's not been very straightforward sometimes, but that's part of the plan and we keep pushing and I'm sure things will work out better."
