Kimi Räikkönen had his first taste of the E21 on track during the third day of testing in Jerez, Spain, ending the day with the 4th fastest time after a programme of aerodynamic assessment.
A crisp morning gave way to glorious blue skies as the team ran through a variety of exhaust evaluations. Running for Kimi ended early due to a clutch issue.
Fast Facts: • Track: Jerez, Spain, 4.4km • Chassis: E21-01 • Weather: Sunny, ambient 5-18°C, track 7-26°C • Programme: System checks, temperature monitoring, data correlation, evaluation of the performance of the car with its initial aerodynamic package. • Laps Completed: 40 • Classification: P4, 1:19.200 • Interruptions: Running curtailed early (clutch).
What’s Next?
Kimi Räikkönen will take the wheel of the E21 for final day of the Jerez test tomorrow.
Kimi Räikkönen: “It was good to get behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car again. The E21 feels quite good so far, even if the balance isn’t quite to my liking yet. That didn’t stop us going through the programme we wanted to do which had a lot of aero runs in it. We know the car can go faster, we were just running through what we needed to achieve. It’s a shame that we had a clutch issue at the end of the day, but that’s why we come testing so we can find these problems and fix them.”
Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “Although we haven’t covered as many laps as we have on the previous two days we have still have been very productive. We spent much of the morning testing various exhaust exit specifications for our Coandă system. The car isn’t yet fully to Kimi’s liking, but we improved this through the day. We still have work to do with the balance, which is something we’ll work on tomorrow. Running ended early for us with a clutch failure which we’re investigating, but overall we’ve had a productive day of aero and exhaust testing.”
ZitatJerez F1 test: Kimi Raikkonen encouraged by Lotus's early pace By Jonathan Noble Thursday, February 7th 2013, 18:00 GMT
Kimi Raikkonen believes Lotus is already in better shape than it was last year after completing his first day of running in the new E21.
The Finn was only able to complete 40 laps at Jerez on Thursday, after problems with his seating position and other minor electronic niggles restricted his time in the car.
Yet he said he had seen enough to be convinced about the step forward his team had taken.
"For sure it feels better than last year at this time," said Raikkonen, when asked by AUTOSPORT for his general feelings on the new Lotus.
"I think we have a good car, but how good it is this year we will only see it during the races and during the season. But it is not a bad start."
Team-mate Romain Grosjean had been positive about the good feeling from the car in all areas, but Raikkonen felt that he had not yet explored its full potential.
"The changes are not massive but it feels better for sure," he said. "We are missing some parts but there is no bad point on it. It is a normal first day.
"We did one change and used only the hard tyres.
"We still don't have all the parts that we will run in the races and we had last year, so it only can get better. It is not too bad."
Raikkonen says work undertaken on his seat position over Thursday, which included revising the location of his seatbelts, had improved matters considerably, and should allow him to get on with a full programme on the final day.
"We did some work on the seat, like is normal for the first test," he said.
"You make the seat at the factory and then it feels OK, but you can only tell when you drive. It is OK now for tomorrow and we can start the day properly."
ZitatJEREZ TEST, DAY 3 – A VIEW FROM THE PIT WALL WITH ALAN PERMANE Three days in to testing, Lotus F1 Team’s Trackside Operations Director Alan Permane outlines the team’s progress so far
HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS THE FIRST THREE DAYS OF RUNNING WITH THE E21? Everything we’ve seen so far has been positive. Romain had two days in the car and was quickly up to pace and giving positive feedback. We were able to get a good idea of the performance of the 2013 tyres from the second day’s running. We’ve had Kimi in the car for a day now and been able to evaluate several of the different exhaust packages we have and also work on getting him happy with setup.
HAVE THERE BEEN ANY RELIABILITY CONCERNS? We’ve had nothing major to concern ourselves with, which is promising. Of course, it hasn’t all been perfect but that is what testing is for; to refine the car and expose any weaknesses it may have. At the end of today’s running we had a clutch issue which prevented us from going on track for the last hour. This is something we’re investigating; hopefully it’s something we can identify and prevent from happening in the future.
THERE SEEM TO BE LONG PERIODS WHERE THE CAR IS IN THE GARAGE; WHAT’S HAPPENING BEHIND THE SCREENS? A variety of things. We started today with a fairly complex pressure array to measure the effect of different exhaust exits which was fitted overnight and took around an hour to remove completely. We could also be changing the exhausts themselves which means removal of the rear bodywork, or moving the ballast around which requires a fair amount of strip-down of the car, or checking over the car after a shake-down or installation lap; all of these procedures take a reasonable amount of time Sometimes we’re just having lunch.
ZitatKimi Raikkonen says 2013 Lotus better than 2012 car was at start of winter testing Although Finn admits he would have liked more laps on first day back
Kimi Raikkonen has given further encouragement to Lotus by declaring that the new E21 feels better around Jerez than its race-winning predecessor at the same point 12 months ago.
The former World Champion joined the 2013 testing fray on Day Three of the first winter test, a day on from team-mate Romain Grosjean setting the then fastest time of the week.
Although Raikkonen's spent less time on track than he admitted he would ideally have liked as electronics glitches kept him in the garage for spells, the 33-year-old still saw enough to give an early thumbs up to his new challenger.
"I'm sure it feels better than last year at this time," he told reporters at the end of the day.
"I think we have a good car but how quick it is in the end this year we will only see during the races and during the season. But it's not a bad start."
Asked if the new car felt particularly different to the final iteration of the E20 he last drove at last November's season-finale in Brazil, the Finn replied: "It's not much different. Almost all the parts are new but the feelings are pretty similar.
"The changes are not massive but it feels better for sure. We're still missing some parts but that's no bad point or anything, it's normal for the first test."
Despite completing fewest laps on Thursday all bar Paul di Resta, Raikkonen still felt it had been a satisfactory return to testing action. "It was a pretty normal first day. Trying to get things, the seat, sitting position, everything right. Of course we'd rather do more laps but we had some small issues with the electronic things and stuff like that," he added.
"We did only one [set-up] change and we only used the hard tyres. So it's okay. We still don't have all the parts that we will run in the races so it only can get better. But it's not bad considering it's the first day and just getting back driving and getting used to it."
Kimi Raikkonen has got acquainted with his new car for the 2013 F1 season this Thursday on the Circuito de Jerez in Andalusia. After a day dictated by electronic problems on the Lotus E21, Finn announced his first impressions of the latest weapon in Enstone. F1i this course was to listen to what the 2007 World Champion had to say .
How was your first day driving the new Lotus? "Pretty good. I am familiar with the new car. I also corrected my position in the cockpit. After, with only 40 laps, it is obvious that we would like to travel more laps today, but we encountered some problems with the electronics and other things of style, that's life ... "
Steering suit you better than last year? "I felt the same at the end of last year. It is correct even if there is still room for improvement. "
How is the overall balance of the E21? "It is too early to say. Until now, hard tires, browsing few laps, the balance seems to me to correct. We still have work to do. It can only get better, although so far it is not too bad at the moment. After that, it's only my first day of testing with this car. "
What is your impression after the first day of testing? "I feel that things are better than a year ago. I think we have a good car. To what extent this Lotus is good? We must wait for the first race to discover. But it is clear that we start the season on the right foot instead. "
Do you have more pressure than last year after your third place in the championship in 2012 and your victory in Abu Dhabi? "Obviously, I'll try to do better. Everyone is always trying to do better, even those who have won the championship the year before. I can not promise that we will achieve a better season than 2012, but it is our ambition and I hope we will. I know the team now, and she knows me. In theory, things should be easier for us this year. "
Print view
Thu Feb 07, 2013 5:14 pm
" title="tantrum" /> 
reply
" title="ty" /> Kriss
" title="ii" />
