Kimi looks better this weekend no doubt. I still think Alonso might come out ahead. Alonso is good at this circuit traditionally. I think Alonso could have been ahead of Kimi on the medium qualifying run. He had a purple middle sector, but a bad S1 he must have made a mistake on S1. If you look at Kimi's sector times alone then they weren't the best, but he obviously didn't make any mistakes and thus he was second. Perhaps he could also have gone faster, since his sector times alone wasn't that good.

The long run was very interesting. Alonso was faster in the first laps, in the middle laps they were about the same, but in the last part of the stint Kimi was faster. Ferrari could have been testing different strategies, or it could just be that Kimi was better at conserving his tyres.

It is nice to see Kimi much more comfortable so far this weekend. However I still think that the main problem of the car being bad at turning-in is still there. It just seems like Kimi has a much better setup so far this weekend. I still think Alonso will come out ahead, but it will be closer. I would still like to see Kimi getting a car that is better suited to his driving style. But things are definitely looking more positive, small steps!

quote

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Fernando Alonso: “We are on a learning curve, which is not unusual for the start of a championship and, to find out how competitive we are, as usual we will have to wait until Saturday and Sunday. Usually, Friday is a very confusing day, because everyone is working on their own programmes, but this year it’s even more the case because of all the new elements. Everything went well, with no reliability problems and we managed to do a fair number of laps, enough to get a good understanding of the tyres, which will be a very important factor here because of the high temperatures. The Hard compound seems to stand up better over a long run, but it’s still too early to talk about qualifying and race strategy. For now, the only thing one can be sure of is the need to do everything to perfection.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “This was definitely a positive day and I had a better feeling compared to Friday in Melbourne. I was more comfortable with the F14 T today and even if we had no problems whatsoever, we know there’s still a long way to go and a lot to do. Our programme concentrated on car set-up and on testing the compounds that Pirelli has brought here. The handling seemed to be good even if, as we found on the race simulation, we will have to pay very close attention to degradation, which is particularly high here. Now we will spend the evening carefully analysing all the data we gathered over the day, to try and work out how to improve.”

Pat Fry: “Although the Friday work hasn’t changed, the number of variables on which we need to concentrate has increased compared to previous years. Among the many parameters that require particular attention are the management systems of the new power unit, especially in terms of its reliability. That’s what we focused on this morning, while in the session just finished we went through the usual set-up work, trying to adapt the balance of the car to the characteristics of the Sepang track. The tyres are harder than last year, but they still come under a lot of strain from lateral loads in the fast corners and so managing their degradation will be a key factor. Even if we are just a few thousandths off the top of the time sheet, as usual on Friday, it’s impossible to give any real assessment. The actual pecking order will only be seen tomorrow in qualifying.”

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to everyone for their comments, translations and information! Let's hope we see some red on the podium

SOME red??? SOME red????

...i dont want to see just any red!!! i want to see KIMI red!!!!

Quote: WHATEVER wrote in post #38

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Quote: Olga wrote in post #37

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SOME red??? SOME red????

...i dont want to see just any red!!! i want to see KIMI red!!!!

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Exactly my thought

@Boudica: And what do you think? ... Just kidding, It's just that I'd like to see your avatar again

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Quote: Clarky wrote in post #39

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Quote: Boudica wrote in post #32

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Kimi looks better this weekend no doubt. I still think Alonso might come out ahead. Alonso is good at this circuit traditionally. I think Alonso could have been ahead of Kimi on the medium qualifying run. He had a purple middle sector, but a bad S1 he must have made a mistake on S1. If you look at Kimi's sector times alone then they weren't the best, but he obviously didn't make any mistakes and thus he was second. Perhaps he could also have gone faster, since his sector times alone wasn't that good.

The long run was very interesting. Alonso was faster in the first laps, in the middle laps they were about the same, but in the last part of the stint Kimi was faster. Ferrari could have been testing different strategies, or it could just be that Kimi was better at conserving his tyres.

It is nice to see Kimi much more comfortable so far this weekend. However I still think that the main problem of the car being bad at turning-in is still there. It just seems like Kimi has a much better setup so far this weekend. I still think Alonso will come out ahead, but it will be closer. I would still like to see Kimi getting a car that is better suited to his driving style. But things are definitely looking more positive, small steps!

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Pretty much how i read things myself Boudica, and these small steps all help to contribute towards a great journey, I was so relieved to see Kimi looking much more settled than he has been, a happy Kimi is an effective Kimi, I think when he returned to F1 in 2012 many people noticed a subtle, and sometimes not so subtle shift in his attitude, I think he's certainly taken that with him to Ferrari, i think he's much more likely to press his points and opinions across this time around, hopefully that attitude will reap its own rewards, I also think that despite initial outward appearances the relationship with Mr Spagnolo will flourish, lets hope that the race confirms and continues the small but noticeable upward trend, I have high hopes.

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There is a rumour that Ferrari is running with less fuel on Friday, I cant it would surprise me if the rumour is correct. I ve also gotten that feeling.

A comparison of the medium tyre run:

ALO............RAI
..................1:45.845
..................1:45.554
..................1:45.046
1:45.065.....1:44.964
1:44.562.....1:45.470
1:45.201.....1:45.492
1:45.089.....1:45.492
1:45.276.....1:47.938
1:47.066.....1:46.585
1:46.813.....1:46.719
1:47.228.....1:46.673
..................1:46.500

Journalist: "Kimi, where do you think you would be right now had you stayed with Lotus?"

Kimi:"I would be in a Lotus"