F1: Raikkonen, Lotus Fastest As Jerez Test Concludes

Formula 1

F1: Raikkonen, Lotus Fastest As Jerez Test Concludes

Kimi Raikkonen paced the final day of preseason testing in Jerez...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted February 08, 2013 Jerez (ESP)

Kimi Raikkonen of Finland and Lotus sits outside the team garage during Formula One winter testing at Circuito de Jerez on February 8, 2013 in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. (Photo: Getty Images)

The fourth and final day of the Jerez test saw Kimi Raikkonen and Lotus atop the times.

The day’s running was interrupted at one stage when a hole appeared adjacent to a curb at Turn 5, necessitating some urgent repairs by the Jerez authorities.

Raikkonen’s 1m18.148s best did not eclipse the 1m17.879s achieved by Felipe Massa and Ferrari on Thursday, as Massa’s time remained comfortably the fastest time of the week.

Nevertheless, with Romain Grosjean having been fastest on Wednesday, it has been a solid week for the Lotus team, although, as ever, no one can be sure what configuration cars were running in when they set their best times.

“We continued our work from yesterday and made some good progress,” said Raikkonen. “We’re at the top of the timing monitors, but that means nothing in testing. Our focus has been testing parts on the car, but I’ve been able to get the setup more to my liking.

“For sure, there’s more work to be done in this area, but that’s what we’re here for. The car feels strong and we seem to have a good idea of where we’re going with improvements. Let’s see what happens in Barcelona.”

On Friday, Raikkonen only just shaded out Force India’s Jules Bianchi, who staked his claim to the second race seat with a solid performance. He shared the car Friday with Paul Di Resta.

Sebastian Vettel was third overall for Red Bull Racing, ahead of Esteban Gutierrez, who made solid progress as he became more confident with the Sauber C32.

Toro Rosso continued its good form as Jean-Eric Vergne took fifth spot for a second consecutive day.

“We have made progress throughout the four days,” said Vergne. “In terms of pure mechanical understanding of the car, we’ve made a significant step forward compared to last year and, specifically today, we got through all our planned work program.

“I am much more confident about the new car than I was before the test, and it gives me a good feeling from behind the wheel. One of the aims of the design team was to give us drivers a car with a broader operating range in terms of setup options, and I can already say they have succeeded in that point.”

Lewis Hamilton was back in the Mercedes W04, and after a reliable day, he was only three laps short of the total of 148 set by Nico Rosberg on Thursday. He finished the day with the sixth-best time, just ahead of Sergio Perez, who was back in the McLaren after missing Thursday.

Valtteri Bottas was eighth for Williams as the Finn brought last year’s FW34 to the end of its frontline career.

Pedro de la Rosa experienced his first – and possibly only – run in the Ferrari F138. However, he lost a lot of time after an early gearbox problem and completed only 51 laps.

Also in action Friday were Charles Pic for Caterham, and Luiz Razia for Marussia.

Pos Driver Car Time Laps
1. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus 1:18.148 83
2. Jules Bianchi Sahara Force India 1:18.175 56
3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:18.565 96
4. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:18.669 142
5. Jean Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:18.760 92
6. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:18.905 145
7. Sergio Perez McLaren 1:18.944 98
8. Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:19.851 92
9. Pedro De La Rosa Ferrari 1:20.316 51
10. Charles Pic Caterham 1:21.105 109
11. Luiz Razia Marussia 1:21.226 82
12. Paul Di Resta Sahara Force India 1:23.435 49

Adam Cooper notched up his 28th season as a racing journalist in 2012. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.