F1: Raikkonen Shakes Down New Lotus At Jerez

Formula 1

F1: Raikkonen Shakes Down New Lotus At Jerez

The new Lotus E20 ran slow laps at Jerez...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted February 06, 2012 Jerez (ESP)

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus F1 Team shown at the Circuito de Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain February 6th , 2012. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Kimi Raikkonen gave the new Lotus E20 its first shakedown laps at Jerez today.

The Finn was only able to run the car at slow speeds as it was a filming day, but it at least gave the team a chance to run basic systems checks, albeit on Pirelli’s demonstration tires rather than proper race rubber.

“It’s great to see the E20 at a race circuit and even better to get behind the wheel,” said Raikkonen. “It’s always frustrating to be in a new car and not be able to drive it at maximum attack, but thankfully I will have that opportunity for the next two days. My initial impressions are good, I fit comfortably in the car and it feels great in first and second gear; now let’s see what it can do tomorrow.”

“Today’s filming runs allowed us to perform initial systems checks; now the hard work begins,” said Lotus trackside operations director Alan Permane. “The main purpose of the first test is to complete as many laps as possible with the E20. This allows us to assess if all systems are working as they should and highlights if there are any areas requiring our attention."

“We monitor all systems to ensure that everything is operating within the correct temperature range, and functioning as designed. Although we have a very early version of the aerodynamic package here, we are able to validate the track data against our CFD and wind tunnel information.

“Assessing Pirelli’s latest compound and construction tires is another objective in Jerez. Although it is quite cold here in the morning, we expect representative track and ambient temperatures during the day, so we should get a good initial impression of their performance with the E20."

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.

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