F1: Raikkonen Marks Return With Fastest Tuesday Lap

Formula 1

F1: Raikkonen Marks Return With Fastest Tuesday Lap

Kimi Raikkonen, back at the wheel of a F1 car for the first time since 2009, paced the opening day of winter testing in Jerez...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted February 07, 2012 Jerez (ESP)

Kimi Raikkonen turned a quick lap of 1:19:670 on Tuesday in Jerez. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Kimi Raikkonen got his comeback season off to a great start by topping the times on his first full day in the Lotus-Renault E20, having done some filming laps with it Monday.

The Finn played down the significance of the outcome of the first day – during which most teams were conducting basic systems checks with brand new cars – but nevertheless he made a good impression and showed that he means business.

“It was a positive first day of testing and everything went almost to plan,” he said. “We had no major issues and I got a good feel for the car and the tires. The tires were more of a challenge in the afternoon when we ran with a scrubbed set, but overall it was a positive day.

“The lap times don’t matter today. I’m happy with the balance of the car, which feels good, and the fact that we didn’t have any major issues. Also, I did more than a race distance today and did not have any physical problems at all, which is good. I’m looking forward to making further progress with the car tomorrow.”

Given that many of the cars were running for the very first time, the order on Tuesday was largely irrelevant.

Among the cars turning a wheel for the first time were the Ferrari F2012 and the Red Bull RB8, driven respectively by Felipe Massa and Mark Webber.

The latter did not appear until three hours into the session as the team was waiting for parts to arrive from the UK, and fog at the local airport led to a diversion. Massa ran 69 laps while Webber managed 53, despite his curtailed day.

“It was good,” said Webber. “I felt quite comfortable in the car quite quickly. It’s very early days, but so far so good. We had a small delay this morning with a part due to fog at the airport. It’s never part of the plan to give up running time, but you can’t control mother nature. However, we made a good recovery, got 54 laps done this afternoon and we’ll aim for a better day tomorrow.“

Also running for the first time was the Caterham CT01 (Heikki Kovalainen), Williams FW34 (Pastor Maldonado) and Toro Rosso STR7 (Daniel Ricciardo). The Caterham completed only 28 laps after damage to the starter shaft meant that the team was unable to start the engine.

Jenson Button gave the McLaren MP4-27 its first public outing after it was shaken down in a straightline test by Oliver Turvey a few days ago.

Following the disastrous start to testing last year, Button was in a much happier mood after completing 62 laps.

“It’s been a good day," he said. "This morning, we ran through our installation and systems checks and the running was good. We’ve been gathering data on aerodynamics, downforce levels, temperatures and the feeling inside the cockpit.

“We did a 15-lap timed run this afternoon, which is a good starting point for us – and the consistency was okay. It’s been a positive day. There are no niggly areas with the car, which is nice. Overall, today was just a starting point, and was all about putting miles on the car.

“There are some promising signs, so I’m happy. It’s now important for us to get a clean day of running tomorrow, put some miles on the car and find a direction that we like. Today’s a very good basis for the next few days.”

Kamui Kobayashi and Paul Di Resta put more miles on the Sauber and Force India, both of which had been shaken down previously. The Japanese driver topped the mileage charts with 105 laps.

Also driving were Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher, sharing the old Mercedes with half a day each, and Pedro de la Rosa, in the as yet unsponsored 2011 HRT. Marussia is not attending this test.

Unofficial Tuesday test times from Jerez:
1. Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, 1:19.670, 73 Laps
2. Paul di Resta, Force India, 1:19.772, 101 Laps
3. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes, 1:20.219, 56 Laps
4. Mark Webber, Red Bull, 1:20.496, 53 Laps
5. Daniel Ricciardo, Toro Rosso, 1:20.694, 57 Laps
6. Michael Schumacher, Mercedes, 1:20.794, 41 Laps
7. Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber, 1:21.353, 106 Laps
8. Jenson Button, McLaren, 1:21.530, 60 Laps
9. Felipe Massa, Ferrari, 1:22.815, 69 Laps
10. Heikki Kovalainen, Caterham, 1:23.178, 28 Laps
11. Pastor Maldonado, Williams, 1:23.371, 25 Laps
12. Pedro de la Rosa, HRT, 1:23.676, 44 Laps

Adam Cooper notched up his 27th season as a racing journalist in 2011. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.