Whether Raikkonen would be prepared to go as far as Schumacher, however, is another matter.
In theory, Ferrari could use Raikkonen to "back up" Hamilton in a way that is advantageous for Massa.
Raikkonen is only four points behind Vettel, who leads with 89 after five races.
Hamilton has extended his title lead to five points ahead of world champion Raikkonen.
Kovalainen, 26, won from Toyota's Timo Glock with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in third place.
As well as Friday's problem, Raikkonen has suffered three other blown engines in practice this season.
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Finland's Kimi Raikkonen for Lotus completed a podium of world champions in third place.
Also in the title frame is Finland's Kimi Raikkonen, who is seven points behind the Briton.
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Coulthard's team-mate Kimi Raikkonen finished third, beating Montoya's team-mate Ralf Schumacher into fourth place.
Instead, although Hamilton shadowed Raikkonen to the first stops, he could not pass him.
Grosjean's teammate Kimi Raikkonen took fifth, ahead of the two Ferrari drivers Alonso and Felipe Massa.
Raikkonen blamed slower cars and a problem with his brakes for losing third place.
The Brazilian has performed well above expectations this year, out-driving his world champion team-mate, Kimi Raikkonen.
Now ahead, Hamilton slowed to allow Raikkonen back through, then re-passed him into the next corner.
Kimi Raikkonen lines up third for Ferrari alongside Renault's Fernando Alonso, who did well to qualify fourth.
Raikkonen, a two-time winner in Barcelona, finished second in Bahrain after coming home behind Vettel's Red Bull.
Heikki Kovalainen in the second McLaren overhauled Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari to take third place on the grid.
They needed to accommodate Alonso, but Massa and Kimi Raikkonen were both already under contract for 2010.
Vettel's Red Bull teammate Mark Webber was fourth with former world champion Kimi Raikkonen fifth for Lotus.
Hamilton increased his championship lead to five points from Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who came home third.
But Todt stressed he did not want comparisons with Schumacher to overshadow Raikkonen as he settles in.
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"We didn't hire Raikkonen because Schumacher decided to leave racing, " Todt told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
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Horner dismissed talk of 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen returning to F1 with Red Bull next year.
This immediately took the fight to Ferrari, and helped Kimi Raikkonen to a brilliant win in Belgium.
He was able to recover only to seventh as Raikkonen won to snatch the title from Hamilton's grasp.
Toyota's tyre strategy meant that Raikkonen also had his hands full in the closing laps fighting off Glock.
Kimi Raikkonen said a strike would "never happen, " while David Coulthard dismissed talk of a strike as rubbish.
"Nothing I saw last year made me think that another championship was impossible in the future, " added Raikkonen.
Finland's Raikkonen was the last driver to win the championship for Ferrari with his triumph five years ago.
Though Hamilton recovered to seventh, Raikkonen took the chequered flag to snatch the title by a single point.
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