[smr2018test]
Kimi Raikkonen indicated Ferrari have more performance in hand after heading the final day of pre-season testing.
Team mate Sebastian Vettel set the fastest overall time of testing on Thursday with a lap of 1’17.182, which Raikkonen got within four-hundredths of a second of on his last day in the car.
But Raikkonen said it doesn’t represent the ultimate performance of the SF71-H. Asked if he expects to be in contention for pole position in Melbourne he said: “We’ll see in two weeks.”
“I’m sure if we want to go faster we can go but it doesn’t mean anything here. In two weeks everybody knows where everybody is. Until that we are only guessing like we were before the testing started.”
Raikkonen was pleased to achieve some meaningful running in the car following the disruption to the first test due to weather.
“Obviously we didn’t have a very good test because of the weather last week,” he said. “But I think we had a pretty decent last day.”
“The feeling was OK. But is that good enough, we’ll see in a few weeks. So far the car is reliable, the feeling is fine. There’s always things to improve, that’s going to be the case every year we are using the car, it’s nothing new.”
“Obviously testing is not that big a part as it used to be,” he added. “But racing is why we are here.”
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Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
9th March 2018, 18:03
Kind of sums up his career…
Joao (@johnmilk)
9th March 2018, 18:03
wow, those are long answers for Kimi’s standards, were they put together?
ajpennypacker (@ajpennypacker)
9th March 2018, 18:09
Kimi interviews… dreadful as always. “We’ll see”, “you never know”, “it doesn’t mean anything”, “bwoah”
MrBoerns (@mrboerns)
9th March 2018, 18:15
Kimi, i truly love you. But i will not get up my hopes. I just don’t think i could take this kind of rejection…
David (@davisp)
10th March 2018, 15:50
+1
Racefan (@racefan)
9th March 2018, 18:19
Looks like Kimi has the best engine in Melbourne. Let’s hope Ferrari obey the new regulation giving Haas exactly the same engine AND software. Holding back Magnussen from overtaking him and replacing him in his team, will force Kimi to drive better than ever before.
Savage_Baboon (@savagebaboon)
9th March 2018, 19:50
There are some analysis suggesting that the Ferrari engine is quite thirsty. Hopefully that’s not the case. I’ve also read on twitter that Ferrari didn’t bring the latest spec PU which may have contributed to higher fuel mileage (they had the same issues last year) and supposedly with the latest spec they don’t have that issue anymore. If that is true why would Ferrari not bring their latest spec engines to winter testing? Doesn’t make sense. Please note: the whole PU thing could certainly be fake news.
Markp
9th March 2018, 21:22
Also theres analysis saying Merc eat their tyres and Red Bull may simply not be fast enough……you can pick about 10 different stories that are all different from so called experts across the world.
Dewald Nel (@ho3n3r)
12th March 2018, 6:35
I don’t believe they had such fuel usage issues last year, as they were always stronger in the race than in qualifying. That wouldn’t have been the case had this rumor been true.
Trayambak Chakravarty (@major-dev)
9th March 2018, 18:35
Nothing is ever good enough for Kimi. It’s always just ‘eh ok’ or ‘we can be better’.
ajpennypacker (@ajpennypacker)
9th March 2018, 19:22
Interviewing him is always a waste of time. He doesn’t even produce the funny soundbites anymore.
Brian (@flyinglapct)
9th March 2018, 21:04
Does anyone really believe that Kimi likes testing? On the other hand, I’ll bet Seb loves it. He’s such a nerd…
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
10th March 2018, 1:41
Raikkonen want go faster can.
Jorge Lardone (@jorge-lardone)
11th March 2018, 0:07
“I’m sure if we want to go faster we can go but it doesn’t mean anything here. In two weeks everybody knows where everybody is. Until that we are only guessing like we were before the testing started.”
Kimi´s words. I agree.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
11th March 2018, 15:07
He sounds like a man who’s hungry to win championships and to compete. Just kidding, where’s the payroll department?