17th April 2009

The Chinese GP is held earlier this year than it was its tradition and was moved from autumn to spring. The season doesn’t change a lot in what I’m aiming for: gaining points and maybe even winning. In the past this race has always been good to me. I won here in 2007 and I often gained a place on the podium. Obviously I hope to repeat that.

I know that things are slightly more difficult this year. We started on the wrong foot, although honestly, we deserved at least some points for what we’ve seen in terms of performance. It’s useless, as I always say, to cry over spilled milk. We have to look ahead and we have to try to improve. The season is still very long, although the Court of Appeal’s verdict will have an important impact. We’ve got to develop the car even more, now that we can’t test on the track. We have to make up and we’ve got some aerodynamic improvements already here at Shanghai. But we also know that the others will do the same.

We’ll see how the situation will be on Friday, but I hope that we’ll be a bit closer to the front-runners. After Malaysia I went back home to Switzerland. During Easter I went to Finland, where I spent some time with my family and friends. It was really nice to go ice skating, just doing something different for once. I’ll arrive in China Thursday. The goal is the usual one, being ahead of everybody else, or at least on the podium. The rest doesn’t count for much.

Source - Kimi’s Official Fan Site

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Day 2 - Barcelona Test

Circuit: Circuit de Catalunya - 4.655 km
Driver: Kimi Raikkonen
Car: Ferrari F60
Weather: air temperature 11/19 °C, track temperature 12/26 °C. Partly cloudy at the start of the morning, then sunny.

Second day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro at the Catalunya Circuit, near Barcelona.

Once again it was Kimi Raikkonen who was on track today and his planned programme consisted of a comparison of various set-up options at the start of the day, followed by Grand Prix weekend simulation (qualifying and race.) Unfortunately, the simulation came to a premature end, because of a problem with the KERS cooling system. Up to that point, Kimi had completed 55 laps, the quickest in a time of 1.20.314, which nevertheless turned out to be the fastest lap of the day.

The Scuderia continues testing at this circuit tomorrow, with Felipe Massa on track.

DAY 2 TIMES:
01. Raikkonen - Ferrari - 1:20.314
02. Nakajima - Williams - 1:20.907
03. Barrichello - Brawn - 1:20.966
04. Trulli - Toyota - 1:21.182
05. Webber - Red Bull - 1:21.347
06. Heidfeld - BMW Sauber - 1:21.615
07. Sutil - Force India - 1:21.834
08. Alonso - Renault - 1:21.937
09. Kovalainen - Mclaren - 1:21.991
10. Bourdais - Toro Rosso - 1:23.039
11. Buemi - Toro Rosso - No time

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Day 1 - Barcelona Test

Circuit: Circuit de Catalunya - 4.655 km
Driver: Kimi Raikkonen
Car: Ferrari F60
Weather: air temperature 10/17 °C, track temperature 11/24 °C. Overcast in the morning, then cloudy with a few sunny spells.

Today saw Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro initiate its final test session at the Catalunya Circuit, near Barcelona, prior to the start of the World Championship season. Kimi Raikkonen was tasked with taking the controls of the Ferrari F60, alongside nine other teams testing here - the first time this year that all the teams have been present at the same time.

The Finnish driver worked on finding the best set-up for the car, on reliability and on a comparison between various aerodynamic solutions. Kimi covered a total of 81 laps, the quickest in a time of 1:20.908.

Testing continues at this circuit tomorrow, again with Kimi Raikkonen on track.

DAY 1 TIMES:
01. Heidfeld - BMW Sauber - 1:20.339
02. Raikkonen - Ferrari - 1:20.908
03. Trulli - Toyota - 1:20.937
04. Button - Brawn - 1:21.140
05. Piquet - Renault - 1:21.662
06. Bourdais - Toro Rosso - 1:22.158
07. Webber - Red Bull - 1:22.246
08. Sutil - Force India - 1:22.452
09. Nakajima - Williams - 1:22.813
10. Kovalainen - Mclaren - 1:22.948

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Day 5 - Jerez Test

Circuit: Jerez circuit - 4.423 km 
Driver: Kimi Raikkonen
Car: Ferrari F60
Weather: air temperature 12/21 °C, track temperature 12/23 °C. Cloudy with rain and strong gusts of wind.

The fifth and final day of testing was also affected by the weather, as it was cloudy, with occasional rain and strong gusts of wind. Air temperatures ranged from 15 to 20 Centigrade, while the track went from 14 to 23. Five other teams ran alongside Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro - BMW, Toyota, McLaren, Williams and Red Bull.

The team worked on engine and gearbox reliability, evaluated tyres and development of some aerodynamic components, as well as carrying out some practice pit stops, including refuelling. “Today, we were able to compare various set-ups aimed at the tyres,” commented Kimi after the test. “One of the novelties for this year, compared to last season is that I have a good feeling on the slick tyres. I think the teams all seem very closely matched and this makes me think that the coming season will be particularly close.”

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro resumes testing again at the Barcelona circuit, from 9 to 12 March.

DAY 5 TIMES:
01. Heidfeld - BMW Sauber - 1:20.052
02. Raikkonen - Ferrari - 1:20.404
03. Hamilton - Mclaren - 1:21.272
04. Webber - Red Bull - 1:22.219
05. Nakajima - Williams - 1:22.226
06. Trulli - Toyota - 1:23.119

Day 4 - Jerez Test

Circuit: Jerez circuit - 4.423 km 
Driver: Kimi Raikkonen
Car: Ferrari F60
Weather: air temperature 12/21 °C, track temperature 12/23 °C. Overcast with a damp track in the morning, then cloudy with dry tarmac.

Kimi Raikkonen took to the track for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro on this fourth day of a five day test session, featuring eight teams at the Jerez circuit. The Finn began lapping early in the day, when the skies were overcast and a gusty wind was blowing. After the lunchbreak, there was a problem with the hydraulic system that took the mechanics quite a while to fix. Once it was sorted, Kimi went back on track, doing four runs and a pit stop practice. Michael Schumacher arrived in Jerez yesterday and again today, he watched the session from the garage.

Kimi Raikkonen will be on track for the Scuderia again tomorrow.

DAY 4 TIMES:
01. Alonso - Renault - 1:19.945
02. Raikkonen - Ferrari - 1:20.250
03. Heidfeld - BMW Sauber - 1:20.520
04. Trulli - Toyota - 1:20.540
05. Webber - Red Bull - 1:20.894
06. Nakajima - Williams - 1:20.948
07. Hamilton - Mclaren - 1:21.302
08. Sutil - Force India - 1:21.41

Day 6 - Bahrain Test

Circuit: Bahrain International Circuit - 5.412 km 
Driver: Kimi Raikkonen
Car: Ferrari F60
Weather: air temperature 20/29 °C, track temperature 21/35 °C. Sunny, hazy skies in the morning, then overcast in the afternoon.

Once again today at Sakhir, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro continued with the test session that began at this track last week, alongside BMW and Toyota.

On Kimi Raikkonen’s programme was evaluation of various set up options on the Ferrari F60, of the Bridgestone tyres available and on development of new components. A problem with the cooling element of the energy recovery system, shortly after 11.30, delayed the proramme as it lead to a three hour stop. Once it was fixed Kimi concentrated on long runs interspersed with pit stops. Yet again the day ended with practice starts on the grid.

The day in figures is as follows: 107 laps completed by Kimi, the quickest in a time of 1.32.102.

The Scuderia continues testing at this circuit tomorrow, when Felipe Massa will return to the track.

DAY 6 TIMES:
01. Raikkonen - Ferrari - 1:32.102
02. Trulli - Toyota - 1:32.230
03. Heidfeld - BMW Sauber - 1:32.585

Kimi Raikkonen’s last day of testing at the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain was extremely troubled. At the start everything seemed to go well, when he did several stints to check the different set ups. Just after 11:30am the car started to have a problem with the KERS’ cooling circuit and the Finnish driver had to come to the box. Until then Kimi had driven 40 laps, the fastest in a time of 1.33.108.

The stop to repair the KERS took more than three hours: just after 3pm - the first lap was driven at 3:20pm - Kimi came back on the track. Nevertheless there was one positive aspect, as the Team was able to experiment with an emergency in case of a KERS failure. During the winter break lots of analytic work was done and the Team has been profoundly trained as far as the KERS is concerned. This knowledge could be used today. The Team followed all procedures in a rigorous and precise way, but especially under absolute safety. Obviously Kimi and everybody else at the Ferrari box at Sakhir and at the Gestione Sportiva in Maranello would have preferred to stay out on the track, but this unexpected incident was a useful experience for the future.

Bahrain Test - Day 5

Circuit: Bahrain International Circuit - 5.412 km 
Driver: Kimi Raikkonen
Car: Ferrari F60
Weather: air temperature 19/28 °C, track temperature 20/35 °C. Sunny with hazy skies.

This morning at Sakhir, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro resumed testing, following on from last week’s session at this circuit, when it ran alongside BMW and Toyota.

Kimi Raikkonen was back behind the wheel of the Ferrari F60, to continue with development of the car. Kimi worked mainly on assessing different set-up configurations, on a comparison of the different types of Bridgestone tyre available, including over long runs and on overall reliability. The day ended with a few practice starts from the grid.

The day in figures is as follows: 116 laps for Kimi, the quickest in a time of 1.32.804.

The Scuderia continues testing at this circuit tomorrow, again with the Finnish driver on track.

DAY 5 TIMES:
01. Klien - BMW Sauber - 1:32.544
02. Raikkonen - Ferrari - 1:32.804
03. Trulli - Toyota - 1:33.064

Today the Finn had an extensive programme, where he worked on the different set ups for the single-seater, the development of several mechanical and aerodynamic components and compared the different Bridgestone tyres driving long stints. “It was a very intense day,” Kimi said at the end of the day, before he went to the engineers for a briefing. “We tried to make up the time we lost last week, although in the morning we had some minor problems which slowed us down a bit. I’m satisfied with how things went. The car reacts very well to our set ups and confirms to deliver a constant performance on the long run. Let’s hope the weather remains like this so we can drive many more kilometres until the end of this session.”

Bahrain Test - Day 4

Circuit: Bahrain International Circuit - 5.412 km 
Driver: Kimi Raikkonen
Car: Ferrari F60
Weather: air temperature 16/21 °C, track temperature 16/29 °C. Sunny with hazy skies.

After two days affected by poor visibility, finally the weather in Bahrain improved enough so that this day of testing could proceed as normal. Therefore, Kimi Raikkonen, who was unable to do anything at all yesterday, managed to get his first run in the Ferrari F60 on a dry track, even if it was still very dirty because of a covering of sand in the first hours of the morning. Kimi concentrated mainly on finding the best set-up for the car and covered a total of 105 laps, setting a best time of 1.33.350. The only hiccough on the day was down to an hydraulic problem which occurred shortly after 3 pm and was then fixed.

The Scuderia will resume testing at this circuit on Monday 16th February, again with Kimi Raikkonen on track.

DAY 3 TIMES:
01. Raikkonen - Ferrari - 1:33.325
02. Trulli - Toyota - 1:33.429
03. Klien - BMW Sauber - 1:33.666

In January at Mugello it was the rain and yesterday here in Sakhir it was the sand preventing Kimi Raikkonen to drive the new Ferrari F60 on a dry track. But finally today, when the weather conditions improved and the wind stopped blowing sand all over the place, Kimi was there. Although it has to be said that the track was not in perfect condition in the morning, but after two hours of driving the lap times started to drop. All in all it was possible to do some serious work. “The track was very slippery in the morning, due to the sand, but we managed to go ahead with our programme,” Kimi said at the end of the day. “It’s a pity for the time we lost over the last days, but it didn’t depend on us. This happens and you just have to accept it. My first day with the new F60 on a dry track was extremely positive. I immediately had a good feeling although it’s still too early to say where we are compared to our competitors. The car is improving and there are no especially critical areas. We used the KERS also today and I’m happy with how it works, apart from some minor childhood disease

Day 2 - Mugello Test

Circuit: Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello - 5.245 km
Driver: Kimi Raikkonen
Car: Ferrari F60
Weather: air temperature 11 °C, track temperature 10 °C. Overcast with occasional rain

Second day of testing this week for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, working again today at the Mugello International Circuit. Kimi Raikkonen continued with development work on the new Ferrari F60, which he began yesterday.

Once again, the day was affected by bad weather, with the track wet throughout. Kimi was able to cover a total of 42 laps, with a best time of 1.33.920.

“It’s always nice to drive a new car for the first time,” commented Kimi at the end of the day. “Unfortunately, because of the weather, we were not able to push to the limit, but these things happen. All the same, first impressions are positive and, above all, it’s important that we didn’t have any particular technical problems.”

Testing continues here tomorrow, when Felipe Massa will be on track.

Circuit: Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello - 5.245 km
Driver: Kimi Raikkonen
Car: Ferrari F60
Weather: air temperature 8/10 °C, track temperature 8/10 °C. Very cloudy, with rain in the afternoon.

First day of testing for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, working as from today at the Mugello International Circuit. A week after Felipe Massa gave the new Ferrari F60 its debut at this track, today it fell to Kimi Raikkonen to begin the real work of developing the car.

The day was affected by adverse weather conditions, with a wet track all day and rain, occasionally heavy, in the afternoon. Nevertheless, Raikkonen was able to rack up a good mileage, covering a total of 54 laps, the quickest in a time of 1.34.430. There were no technical problems with the car.

Testing continues at this track tomorrow, again with Kimi Raikkonen at the wheel.