Alonso: 'Ferrari are only 20 percent ready'

Fernando Alonso reckons Ferrari still have a lot of work to do before Melbourne, saying they are only "20 percent" there with their new F2012

Ferrari's first pre-season test got off to a subdued start with the Italian stable failing to match the lap times set by Red Bull, McLaren and even Lotus.

That changed on the final day when Alonso clocked a 1:18.877 to finish Friday's running at the very top of the timesheets and second overall, his time only slower than Romain Grosjean's from Day three.

"It is still early and there is much work still to do to understand the many changes to the car compared to last season," he told Spanish daily AS.

"We are maybe at 20 percent of what we need to know but in the next test we will try to achieve the rest."

The one aspect, though, where Alonso is confident Ferrari have improved and have a great understand is with regard to the Pirelli tyres.

Last season the Italian stable struggled in qualifying as they were not able to get heat into the rubber, especially with the harder compounds.

This year Alonso reckons Ferrari, who hired Bridgestone's former F1 chief Hirohide Hamashim early in January, are on the right road to resolving that issue.

"I think we've managed to make better use of the tyres right from the first lap, which we could not do a year ago," he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"What definitely needs improving is the aerodynamics and the reliability.

"To do only 40 laps in eight hours is a bit little, in Barcelona we must succeed in covering at least a hundred a day."

As for predictions for the upcoming season, the Spaniard said: "Where will I be in Melbourne? No idea but then I really do not know where I am here (Jerez), what position we are in."

Source: Planet-F1

Räikkönen's fairness delighted Grosjean

After two years break from F1 racing Romain Grosjean got a great gift from the first actual test session. The pace was right - and in addition natural relations to his new team mate Kimi Räikkönen came right away

Räikkönen's contract with the Lotus was published on 28 November. Few days later GP2 champion Grosjean was hired to partner Finnish world champion.

At that time, he told L'Equipe newspaper that he knows Kim's image and is nervous, how the man really is.

After Jerez test session Grosjean confessed that his impression of Räikkönen was immediately changed, when they briefly exchanged opinions about the test during the day.

- It was a really pleasant surprise, how Kimi is. I wondered a little what kind of relationship we will have, but even if we are not close, we get along very well and Kimi feels like a nice guy from the beginning. When I ask, he answers. It feels really nice at this point, Grosjean praised.

Raikkonen was driving on Wednesday, but when the floor fell apart on the curb of the track, the Finnish driver walked to the bus, where Grosjean was spending time.

- When Kimi came to the bus, I asked, was there a problem in the car. He replied that yes, and then we talked about the car and his experiences of it, Grosjean explained.

Telemetry in place

On Wednesday evening Grosjean became acquainted with telemetry of Räikkönen, who was already on his way home, to know at what point Kimi brakes and where he accelerates.

- I did not see anything strange, and then when I was driving on Thursday, our telemetry were nearly identical. It is very encouraging when our driving styles seems to be so close to each other.

On Friday, Grosjean focused on longer stints on different rubber compounds.

Raikkonen drove 192 laps in two days, while Grosjean got 212 laps. Be course Raikkonen drove on filming session 22 laps, mileage is pretty much the same. Most laps in Jerez drove Bruno Senna of Williams, who got 249 rounds.

The car is better

- This is definitely better than our last year's car, which I drove in Abu Dhabi's and Brazil's practice session. On the last season team learned how to improve different things. The car is now immediately good to drive. F1 has never been easy to drive, but with this we can play, and it is a major asset, 25-year-old French driver praised.

Biggest challenge at this point, Grosjean says, is to understand how tyres work with the car. Pirelli's characters are still the same as last season, and in certain circuits it means finding some compromises for drivers and engineers.

Grosjean drove in 2009 seven last races with Fernando Alonso. Thus throughout his F1 career, there has always been a world champion as a team mate.

Turun Sanomat, Jerez de la Frontera

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: reppo

Video: Fernando Alonso Interview at Jerez Sky Sports

Ferrari and Fernando Alonso were fastest on the final day of the first pre-season testing week in Jerez ahead of the new Formula One season



Source: GrandPrixGirls

Alonso Ends First Test On A High Note

Fernando Alonso silenced growing concerns about Ferrari's F2012 by finishing the four-day Jerez with the fastest time on the final day

Following the conclusion of Thursday's play at the Spanish circuit, Ferrari's technical director Pat Fry admitted to the world that he was "not happy" with how Ferrari's pre-season was progressing.

According to Fry, while the reliability of the new car is "good" the pace is only "okay" leaving Ferrari with a lot of work to do before the season gets underway in Australia next month.

However, Fry's concerns - at least on the surface - came to naught when Alonso broke the 1:20.000 barrier in the first hour of Friday's running.

The Spaniard went even faster, posting a 1:18.877 during the morning session before heading into the pits prior to lunch with 24 laps under his belt.

For an as yet undisclosed reason, Alonso did just 15 laps in the afternoon - several of which were for practice starts - while his rivals put in the miles. None, though, were able to get close to his P1 time.

Toro Rosso rookie Jean-Eric Vergne came the closest, finishing 0.702s off the pace. However, his time was also set during the morning session.

The fastest man in the afternoon proved to be reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel.

The German completed just two laps in the morning as "an electrical issue" with his RB8 took several hours to resolve.

As such, he only ventured out mid-way through the afternoon but that did not stop the Red Bull racer from quickly working his way up the timesheets.

Vettel steadily improved from ninth to eighth to fifth and then third, finishing Friday's running with a 1:19.606, which was 0.729s off the pace.

Lewis Hamilton, who had a trouble-free day with almost 90 laps to his name, was fourth quickest, a further 0.034s slower than Vettel while Romain Grosjean was fifth in his Lotus E20.

Kamui Kobayashi brought his car home in sixth place, just under a second behind Alonso's P1 time. However, his day was not without problems as the Sauber driver was responsible for one of four red flags when his C31 came to a halt due to a hydraulic problem.

A solid day for Force India's Nico Hulkenberg, who lost valuable track-time on Thursday after Jules Bianchi crashed his car, finished with the German eighth quickest with 90 laps.

Meanwhile, Bruno Senna, who was the busiest driver on the final day, put in some consistent runs as he covered a marathon 125 laps. The Williams's racer, though, brought out the red flags on two occasions.

The first was in the morning when, after 97 laps, he stopped out on track while the second, late in the afternoon, came at Turn Two. The day's first red flag stoppage was in order to allow a marshal to clear a piece of debris off the track.

Jarno Trulli completed the timesheets for Caterham with 117 laps and 3.321s off the pace.

Unofficial Times
01 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:18.877 39 laps
02 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:19.597 0.720 80 laps
03 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:19.606 0.729 50 laps
04 Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1:19.640 0.763 86 laps
05 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:19.729 0.852 95 laps
06 Kamui Kobayashi Sauber 1:19.834 0.957 76 laps
07 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:19.977 1.100 90 laps
08 Bruno Senna Williams 1:20.132 1.255 125 laps
09 Jarno Trulli Caterham 1:22.198 3.321 117 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Comment: Räikkönen made the right choice!

The first week in winter testing has proved that Kimi Räikkönen made the exactly right choice when choosing Lotus-team as his working place

In addition to Lotus taking the top times of the new cars on Tuesday and Thursday tests, the team has presented themself in Jerez like a big team in all ways. Lotus-team's paddock-buildings, trucks and the fantastic black&gold -look is on the same level with other top teams. Actually Lotus has been mostly presented of all teams in Jerez because they have wanted to keep noise over their new name, new sponsors and new drivers.

Räikkönen's second team-option Williams again has stayed under the average level when it comes to laptimes and they have been quite unnoticed all and all. When Lotus took all the attention on Monday by presenting their car in a well organized event, Williams again made their presentation with small gestures early Tuesday morning by opening the doors to their garage and rolling their car to the pitlane.

The spirit coming from Lotus-team tells that the team's crew is standing behind Räikkönen with all they have. Kimi can build the Lotus into his own success story.

Jani Merimaa, Jerez

Source: MTV3
Courtesy: Nicole

Grosjean's speed didn't come as any surprise to Räikkönen

First three days and 214 laps with Lotus new E20 -car are behind and Räikkönen can now concentrate on following Rally Sweden at home in Switzerland - while following Jerez testing times. At least through the internet

Räikkönen who made the pioneering work with the new car got praisal from the engineers for his feedback. The car is developing and Romain Grosjean got immediately into speed to polish the novelty into an even better one.

– I don't know him that well but he has won the GP2-championship and other car-races. You don't win them if you aren't fast, Räikkönen said.

Räikkönen's 942 kilometers experience from Jerez tests will help the people in Enstone to both develop the car and make it more like the driver wants it to be.

The challenge is at least to build a new steering and placing the DRS-button in the place where Räikkönen wants it.

Räikkönen's engineer in Jerez and in Barcelona's first test period is Simon Renney. After that Mark Slade takes his familiar place alongside Räikkönen.

– It goes well with Simon too but I wanted Mark along. He knows me and he knows what I want since we were together for five years in McLaren. On top of that Mark knows this team after working here earlier. It's easier for me to go to a new team when the engineers have experience of the team and know how to work with me and the team, Räikkönen justified.

Gerard Lopez is very satisfied with the new driver duo. He took personally care of hiring Räikkönen.

– We were in contact with Kimi already in 2010. Back then I got the impression that he still had unfinished challenges in rally and he gave the impression that he would like to do both F1 and rally at the same time. Coming back to F1 would mainly had been because of money.

– Now everything was different. I can assure you that Kimi came back because he wanted to race and money was a minor detail, Lopez reveals.

– Even though he was away for two years he was immediately at home in the car and showed right in the first test with the old car that he is physically in a very good shape. I think Kimi makes a lot of hard work which generally doesn't even seem to be understood.

Turun Sanomat's question about how Räikkönen fits in Robert Kubica's place as the team's leading driver got Lopez to smile widely.

– Kimi is definitely the best we could get and I think that he is with certainity one of the world's four fastest drivers, Lopez praised.

Turun Sanomat. Jerez de la Frontera

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Big and ability to strike

I mostly look at this through Finnish glasses.... however in Jerez press room the non-Finnish media gang is more and more assured that Kimi Räikkönen could drive for very good positions in this year's serie.

I got the best enforcement when sitting at Red Bull's coffee table and hearing Adrian Newey himself praise the new Lotus as a cool and smooth-looking new car.

Last year ended with Heikki Kovalainen fighting for Lotus' positions with Vitali Petrov and Bruno Senna from Renault. Now Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean have that new car that changed from Renault into a Lotus. At least the Caterham that changed from Lotus is far behind.

When leaving home on Wednesday evening Räikkönen adviced me to forget about staring at the laptimes. They only matter in the first qualification in Melbourne. Before that everyone concentrates on their own things and comparing them to others is only a waste of time.

Still the pondering over laptimes offers it's own world. Usually a good car is fast right from the start - like this Lotus.

The Spanish reporters have followed the new Ferrari's stumbling with worries, since the car that was praised as a radical car seems to bee too radical for the whole team to understand. At least at this stage Ferrari is slower than Lotus - even with same amounts of fuel.

Still the Spanish media-brothers quickly remind that when the new Williams was in last year's tests in Jerez, even Alonso made a mistake by putting it up as the season's toughest competitors. The end result was a complete pancake - and it was the worst season in Williams' long history.

So that I wouldn't limit this blog to only my own thoughts, I asked once again from a few reporter colleagues about their opinion about Lotus.

Giorgio Piola who is respected as the media-world's most famous technical expert classified the Lotus as too big even before the tests began. Has his mind changed at all?

– Lotus is too big-lined in my eyes but it seems to be good on the track: easy to setup and efficient, Piola admits.

– Even during Renault's time they had their own philosophy. The cars Fernando Alonso won championships with were big, the sidepods differed from others by size alone. But they were all effectively competitive though.

– Still one also has to look at the other side of the coin. Although they did well with Renault in the first two races, the development curve ended there and the rest of the season was diving. Although this car probably is better they have to find potential to also develop it during the season. Otherwise the good basic work is sort of wasted.

Auto, Motor und Sport's Michael Schmidt keeps up a neverending Kimi-competition with me. But when discussing seriously he admits that Lotus offered a positive surprise.

– At this time of the year the estimations of the cars usually go wrong, but it's a fact that the times that this Lotus has made cannot come with a bad car - no matter what the fuel-level is. Lotus is one of the most pleasant surprisers. With that car Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean can race for even top 5.

F1 Racing's Tom Clarkson is known for his Finnish sympathies. The new Lotus also got sympathy:

– I have always rated James Allison highly. His cars always have their own label. At this stage we can't possibly know what the real competitiveness is and how good Red Bull is or how bad Ferrari is. But at least the new Lotus is reliable and also good in the tyre-department. Those are two important features.

– At this moment Lotus is in the top 3 but it's still uncertain what the situation is when the season begins. They stopped their development work for last year's car when seeing that they went the wrong way with their exhaust-systems and concentrated on designing this E20. I'm sure it was a good decision, Clarkson sums up.

Source: Heikki Kulta Blog
Courtesy: Nicole

Video: BBC - Hamilton and Vettel discuss contrasting fortunes following first test

Hamilton says he is "in a good place" ahead of the new season whilst Sebastian Vettel complains of a "loss of grip" following their first experiences driving their 2012-spec cars on the third day of pre-season testing in Jerez .

Hamilton states "things went pretty smoothly" and had "no nasty surprises" after driving his new McLaren MP4-27 for the first time.

By contrast, Vettel reveals he struggles with his new Red Bull RB8, complaining of "quite a big loss of grip" compared to last year's car which was built around the now-illegal 'blown diffuser' exhaust system, and having to adapt his driving style to cope with the changes.



Source: SeventyBuckss

Lewis: McLaren have 'a good platform'

Lewis Hamilton said that McLaren have a "good platform" from which to build after sampling the new MP4-27 for the first time on Thursday

Taking over after team-mate Jenson Button had spent the first two days of Formula 1's opening pre-season test putting the new McLaren chassis through its paces, the 2008 World Champion gave a positive initial assessment after completing a total of 80 laps and setting the day's fourth fastest time.

"It felt pretty good to be out there first time, to get back out on track after such a long winter. My initial thoughts were pretty good," he told Sky Sports.

"Every year you arrive and you never know what to expect, but you always hope for a good platform to start from and something that the team can build from.

"I think that after today I feel quite positive about where the car is at the moment and I'm confident that the guys can push it forward."

Nice surprise
Hamilton said he received no "nasty surprises" adding that "the nice surprise was that it felt reasonably quick".

However, he did say that the car did feel different at the rear end without the extra downforce provided by the now-outlawed blown diffuser.

"The car is different. Last year we had so much support and stability, particularly in the high-speed corners, but now we're having to find that grip," he said.

"We'll take grip off the front and try to offload it to the rear somehow. But I think the baseline that we have is something we can really work with."

Hamilton also added that Pirelli's new tyres offered "more life" than their predecessors and suggested that McLaren's only issue to date is that their simulator had not been set up accordingly.

"There's a couple of small things in the car that we have. There are no real problems, it's just different in driving with the tyres and everything," he said.

"I tested in the simulator and it's a little bit different to what it is in the simulator. We'll go back and adjust the simulator to what it's like in real life."

Not a contest
Even so, Hamilton said he saw no reason thus far not to think that McLaren will challenge this year.

"Today you've got to remember that everyone is just focusing on their own programmes. It's not a contest for who's the fastest at the moment," he continued.

"We're just trying to get lots of running, testing the items. The Ferrari's not really showing anything just yet; of course, the Red Bull looks fast - as it usually does - and we're there I think.

"But over the coming weeks we'll get a better indication of where everyone is."

Source: SkySports

Seiska Magazine: Welcome to The Iceman's Cave

Seiska asked Kimi 77 questions in his home in Porkkalanniemi



Are you nervous when going back to F1?

- Not at all. I wouldn't had come back if I wouldn't have liked to. I'm sure it's going to be fun this season.

What kind of chances of success do you think Lotus has this season?

- It's difficult to say, nobody knows yet. We will see after the first tests where we are going.

Do you have hunger for another WDC?

- Yes. You always have that as a goal. I will try a lot, lets see if that's enough or not.

You have said that Lotus has a homey atmosphere compared to your earlier teams, how do you see the difference?

- Each team has always been different. Lotus has however a different kind of management. They are younger and racing-spirited and not any uptight people.

Is Sebastian Vettel your best buddy in F1?

- Yes, I know him best and have spent most of time with him than with any other drivers.

Do you have any enemy or someone you can't stand there?

- No I haven't but it's difficult to say what other people think.

Have you already met your team mate Romain Grosjean? Is he a good guy?

- I have met him and he is a nice normal guy.

Where do you see yourself after ten years?

- Difficult to say but hopefully everything is still okay.

What plans do you have for your life after F1?

- No plans. I have never have any terribly long plans.

In how good physical shape are you?

- I guess in the same shape as before. I know pretty well in which shape one has to be.

They operated your wrist after the recent motorsledge-race. Has it healed well?

- Yeah. It's now completely okay.

They often talk about your money in public. You have a fortune of over 100 million euros. What does money mean to you?

- I guess it means the same as it means to other people too. I get a certain amount of money for the job that I do. Some think it's right, some think it's wrong. I myself have however made all the work so it doesn't make me ashamed at all. Money makes some things easier but it really doesn't solve everything in life.

Has the big fortune made you out of touch with reality or do you even think about monetary matters?

- *laughing* Definitely not! I'm just the same as I was before. It makes some things easier but it also brings a lot of negative things along.

Do you pay your bills yourself or do you use an internet-bank for example?

- No I don't. My mom takes care of quite many of my things.

How much money will you get for your next season in Lotus?

- I get something.

How have you invested your money?

- Well I have a few apartments and something like that... You have to live somewhere.

They have thought in public that you are part-owner in Lotus, is that true?

- No it's not.

Would you like to own your own F1-team someday?

- I don't have the passion for it. In the end it's quite cruel business.

Have you ever donated a lot of money to charity?

- I have done that every now and then. At the moment I have this small thing going on with SOS Children's Village.

What is your biggest win in poker?

- In poker? It can't have been any big sum at least! I have sometimes played poker with my buddies but never been to a casino.

Then what is your biggest loss in poker?

- I doesn't come to my mind right now, but usually I lose rather than win.

Do you play other gambling games?

- I guess I have sometimes played some pajazzo etc. if they are seen as gambling games, but nothing more.

They say that you are genuinely a laidback guy and don't look like you would be nervous of any racing situations. What kind of situations make you nervous?

- Hard to say. Sometimes normal things can make me nervous. It depends on the place but I am also nervous about races.

What kind of things are you afraid of?

- There are no things that I would be afraid of. I don't have fear for high places or things like that.

You have many houses but how many homes do you have?

- This place in Porkkalanniemi is one home and I have another home in Switzerland. I don't think that I have any more homes than anyone else has.

You travel a lot. How many nights per year are you here in Porkkalanniemi?

- I can't say at all. I spend more time here in the summer when the weather is good.

Is the place in Kaskisaari more of a partying place than home?

- No. I use it when I have for example some job stuff in Helsinki.

How do you decorate your apartment? I doubt you go to IKEA by yourself.

- No I don't go to IKEA. This house has been designed by interior-people.

Is there something in the interior that Jenni likes and that you let her have with long teeth?

- Well I don't have terribly much that I would have objected to. I don't pay attention to those kind of details. We have a pretty similar taste but interior is more a thing for women. I'm sure it's more important to them than it is to me for example. We should just let the women take care of these things!

Which room is your favorite room?

- I guess I spend most time on the couch in front of the tv.

What do you serve your friends when they come and visit you?

- It depends of course on which day it is! *laughing* I don't usually ask terribly much, they find their way to the fridge themself.

Do you go to the supermarket yourself?

- I go there quite often. I like to go there but it also depends upon which time you go there. Sometimes there are many people etc. but I like to circle around there.

Do you clean your home yourself?

- Yeah I clean sometimes. I do the normal cleaning myself, like wash my own clothes.

Do you have a housekeeper?

- No. A cleaning lady comes twice a month to sweep the biggest thrash.

Do you make food yourself?

- I make food if I'm home alone.

What is your speciality?

- I guess it's chicken pasta. It's the easiest to make. I'm not any passionate cook.

What is your favorite food?

- I like salmon quite much and meatballs are guite good too.

What is hour favorite drink?

- I drink a lot of milk.

How do you prepare a White Russian the right way?

- I don't know since I haven't drank White Russians for years. I'm sure I couldn't make them the right way.

What about cranberry vodka?

- I guess you mix vodka with some cranberry.

Is Jenni a good cook?

- She is a bit better than me but if we would compete I think it would be quite an even competition.

Does she cook for you often?

- Every now and then. We don't have any rule book about those things, that someone would always have to cook. Often we go out for dinner and sometimes pick up something.

Do you have pets?

- We have three dogs. My mom keeps two Jack Russell terriers and the German Shepard is in Switzerland.

What names do they have?

- Reiska, Peppi and Ajax.

Is it true that you are allergic to Jenni's horses?

- I'm allergic to quite many things like cats and horses. I get a stuffed up nose if I spend a lot of time with them. I had more allergies during the army-time.

What tv-programs do you watch?

- This and that. Mostly sport. Yesterday I was staring at something that my mom watched.

Your favorite movie?

- Finnish movies.

What Finnish icehockey-league do you support?

- I don't personally support anything special. Of course I hope that Espoo's and Helsinki's leagues would do well. I don't follow icehockey with clenched teeth and despite rumors I don't own anything from Tampere's Ilves. May the best league win.

How often do you party?

- It depends a lot. Now I haven't had time to party because of having so much to do. Of course if I'm free and want to go, then I go. I don't have any regulations concerning that. These things are related to normal life just like it is with everybody else too.

How is a good party made, a party where you enjoy yourself?

- I guess it's the good gang. That's where it usually takes off.

Does it have to be karaoke?

- It has been less karaoke although it's usually been fun there. It's not necessary but I rather go to a smaller and more quiet place than to some big disco.

How much and what do you drink during a bar-night?

- Hmmm... Hard to say what I drink. There is no main drink. I usually order a lot of cranberry vodka because my buddies drink a lot of that. I often drink vodka and vichy if I drink.

Are you a person who likes to be comfortable?

- Well not any more than anyone else is. I'm usually fine with everything.

How hard steam-man in sauna are you?

- I like sauna but with normal steam. No sauna-Timo-business for crying out loud!

The sea is here beside, do you swim a lot?

- I swim in the summer. The last time I took a swim in that sea was just before the ice came.

Cold or hot shower?

- It depends a little but I like a really cold shower too. It refreshes quite well.

How much time do you spend in the shower?

- Well as long as I get clean I guess. I don't have any stopwatch there for crying out loud!

Do you sing in the shower?

- No.

Do you wear a bathrobe or do you walk around with a towel over your hips?

- With a towel.

Your favorite cologne/scent?

- I only use the basic deodorant. You get it easy from the gas station!

Do you blowdry your hair?

- No.

What is your favorite music?

- I usually listen to Finnish music from the radio.

You mean radio Suomi Pop?

- I has been less now that people there have changed. It's not as good in the morning as it used to be.

How many cars do you own?

- Five I think. Audi, Fiat, Merc and VW. I guess I get some Lotus too soon but any luggage won't fit into them.

How many tattoos do you have and do they have some meaning?

- Two. I don't think that they have any special meaning.

You have told that you would want to have two children. At which stage do you think starting a family would be actual?

- Of course you want family. It doesn't mean that there should be one or two children. Hopefully I get a family at some point and that all children would be healthy. I think that's the main thing.

I heard that you are very fond of children. Is it true?

- Yes, I like children. I don't have any of my own but I like spending time with them.

What is the secret of your and Jenni's lasting marriage?

- I don't think that we have any secret. Of course we have arguments and nagging at times just like in every other relationship but it's normal life.

How often do you see Jenni?

- We are about every day together at home unless we are on some trips. It has been like that ever since we met.

What mutual hobbies do you have?

- I guess just being home since we both have our own hobbies. I do my own things and Jenni rides everyday.

What is a good relationship like according to you?

- I'm sure everyone have a different relationship and you can't order what is good for anyone. For as long as both have fun and both feel good to be together is what defines it.

Which one of you are more jealous?

- Hard to tell.

Are you jealous of each other?

- I'm sure eveyone is. Even though you would say that you aren't jealous I think everyone is.

Are you happy?

- Yes. I don't have anything to complain about.

Do you think that Jenni is also happy with you?

- Yes. We wouldn't be together if we weren't happy. Like I said there are always arguments every now and then but I think it's the same for everyone else too.

Do you read Seiska?

- I read it every now and then because we get it in Switzerland! Yeah, the bible comes to our home (laughing).

So you call Seiska jokingly a bible?

- It is sometimes like that, yes!

Courtesy: Nicole

Big guns back, but Rosberg takes P1

Mercedes GP's 2011 challenger once again upstaged the new cars on day three of the pre-season test in Jerez with Nico Rosberg topping the timesheets

World Champion Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso of Ferrari and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton were all in action for the first time on Thursday, but it was Rosberg who took the P1 honours with a blistering time of 1:17.613.

It was the second consecutive day that Merc set the pace after Michael Schumacher posted a 1:18.561 on Wednesday. With the team opting to skip the fourth and final day of testing on Friday, it was also the perfect send-off for the W02 as Merc will introduce their 2012 challenger ahead of the next test in Barcelona.

Lotus also continued their keep up with the pace at the front as Romain Grosjean led the way in the 2012-spec cars. The Frenchman was the early pacesetter before Rosberg blew everyone away with his 1:17 mark. Grosjean's best effort in his E20 was 0.806 slower than that of the German..

After watching from the sidelines on the first two days, Vettel, Alonso and Hamilton finally got a taste of the action. Vettel put his RB8 in third place with a 1:19.297, but Hamilton was just under two tenths off his time.

Alonso and Ferrari didn't have the smoothest of days as the Spaniard spent nearly two hours of the morning session in the garage with a hydraulic problem.

Things went a little better in the afternoon and, with Ferrari focusing on data collection and not times, he finished seventh but put in some consistent times on the medium Pirelli tyres.

Thursday proved to be a fruitless day for Force India after reserve and test driver Jules Bianchi had a shunt early on. Although damage to the VJM05 was not severe, the team were forced to skip the rest of the day due to a lack of spare parts.

"It was just a small mistake from my side," Bianchi told ESPNF1.

"Some wheelspin with cold tyres and I went into the gravel and touched a little bit the rear wheel and damaged the car a bit. I'm very sorry for the team because it's had to do a lot of work for a small mistake. I'm really sorry about that."

Caterham reserve Giedo van der Garde also had an excursion off the track, but his CT01 wasn't damaged.

Meanwhile, Jean-Eric Vergne and Bruno Ssenna made their official debuts as they drove for Toro Rosso and Williams respectively.

Vergne's team-mate Daniel Ricciardo impressed on the first two days and the Frenchman proved that there is plenty of pace in the STR7 as he finished fifth while Senna was the busiest driver on the track, having completed 125 laps.

Only 10 teams are in action after HRT decided to back up and head home after Wednesday. Marrusia, meanwhile, skipped the session altogether.

Times
1.N Rosberg Mercedes GP W02 1:17.613 118 laps
2. R Grosjean Lotus E20 1:18.419 +0.806 117
3. S Vettel Red Bull RB8 1:19.297 +1.684 96
4. L Hamilton McLaren MP4-27 1:19.464 +1.851 80
5. J Vergne Toro Rosso STR7 1:19.734 +2.121 78
6. S Perez Sauber C31 1:19.770 +2.157 48
7. F Alonso Ferrari F2012 1:20.412 +2.799 67
8. B Senna Williams FW34 1:21.293 +3.680 125
9. G van der Garde Caterham CT01 1:23.324 +5.711 74
10. J Bianchi Force India VJM-05 0:00.000 2

Source: Planet-F1

Rosberg Keeps Merc GP On Top In Jerez

The "big three" got their first taste of winter testing at Jerez on day three, but Nico Rosberg stole their early morning thunder to set the pace

After sitting out the first two days, World Champion Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton of McLaren were all taking part in pre-season testing for the first time on Thursday.

However, for the second day in a row it was the 2011-spec Mercedes GP that topped the timesheets.

Seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher posted a 1:18.561 on Wednesday and Rosberg went even better in the morning session on day three with a 1:17.613.

Lotus also continued their good pace in the south of Spain with Romain Grosjean, who set the pace early on, finding himself just +0.806 off Rosberg's best effort.

After Jenson Button found himself in the bottom half on the opening two days, team-mate Lewis Hamilton pushed the MP4-27 into third place with a 1:19.464. The Woking-squad, though, have always maintained that they are using most of the days in Jerez to do some "exploratory" work.

Toro Rosso, meanwhile, continued to keep pace with the big boys with rookie Jean-Eric Vergne putting his STR in seventh place.

Red Bull's Vettel was only sixth fastest with a 1:20.154 while Alonso was a further 0.258 behind him in seventh.

"The programme will be very similar to what has been done in the previous days by Felipe (Massa). The main target is data acquisition about the car," Ferrari said via their Twitter feed before the start.

However, things didn't go according to plan in the first hour as Alonso was forced to take a long break following an hydraulic problem.

Force India reserve driver Jules Bianchi also had to sit out the majority of the morning session after he crashed his VJM-05 into the tyre wall.

"The guys are busy in the garage repairing the VJM05. We will hopefully be back out in the afternoon so that Nico (Hulkenberg) can get his first run," Force India said via Twitter.

Only 10 teams are in action in Jerez on the final two days after HRT decided to back up and head home after Wednesday. Marrusia, meanwhile, skipped the session altogether.

Unofficial times
1.N Rosberg Mercedes GP W02 1:17.613 77 laps
2. R Grosjean Lotus E20 1:18.419 +0.806 53
3. L Hamilton McLaren MP4-27 1:19.464 +1.851 38
4. J Vergne Toro Rosso STR7 1:19.734 +2.121 41
5. S Perez Sauber C31 1:19.770 +2.157 31
6. S Vettel Red Bull RB8 1:20.154 +2.541 34
7. F Alonso Ferrari F2012 1:20.412 +2.799 34
8. B Senna Williams FW34 1:21.293 +3.680 73
9. G van der Garde Caterham CT01 1:23.505 +5.892 44
10. J Bianchi Force India VJM-05 0:00.000 2

Source: Planet-F1

Seiska's reporter tells: This is what Kimi Räikkönen is like for real!

Seiska's reporter Panu Hörkkö visited Kimi Räikkönen at his home and he was surprised - positively

When I drove on Feb 3rd from Helsinki to Kimi Räikkönen's villa in Porkkalanniemi I had butterflies in my stomach. I had actually had them ever since the night before and Kimi even visited in my few hours dream to be honest.

So the unconsciousness pulled cruel tricks on me. I was however about to meet Kimi for the first time and I had heard that he hates reporters. I wondered which one of us is more troubled with the meeting - the one who was going to be interviewed or the interviewer?

Kimi's expression was something completely different from what I had expected!

When the photographer and I arrived to Porkkalanniemi we were greeted by Riku Kuvaja. He informed in his kind way that he would go and walk around the villa with the photographer and I could soon interview Kimi in peace.

Soon after that the glass door opened and a beanie-headed Kimi came out to shake hands with me.

I immediately saw an expression on Kimi's face that I hadn't seen in one single magazine or tv-interview earlier. Kimi was unbelievably laidback and frankly put charming, if a man can say so about another man.

Kimi's boyishness and grinning continued all through our 3-hours meeting and the ice broke easily in the Iceman's cave. Kimi answered my questions in a laidback way and used his witty sense of humour. His laughter was catching and the atmosphere was warm.

As an example I could mention my question "How tough steam-man are you?" Kimi replied in his personal way:

- I like to go to a sauna but just the normal steams. No Sauna-Timo-business for sure, Kimi said.

It wasn't pretending from his side, I can say based upon my life experience that Kimi is genuinely a laidback person - and modest too on top of that - unlike many "heroes" I have met.

Lacking speaking skills, they say!

After we left the villa I could only think that dammit, that guy just hates cameras just like probably 99% of Finnish men also hate!


Next F1-season I am going to concentrate on following only Kimi and his grips in Lotus. The guy did after all set the fastest laptime in Jerez testing!

I will leave in their own league those who nag about Kimi's poor skills of commenting or posing. Afterall I know myself that we Finns have an exceptionally charming hero in this man. And a man can say this about another man.

Good luck to the upcoming season, Kimi!

Source: Seiska.fi
Courtesy: Nicole

Exclusive Q&A with Lotus’s Kimi Räikkönen

After two days back in the cockpit, two things are clear - Formula One has missed Kimi Räikkönen and Kimi Raikkonen has missed Formula One. Yes, the niggles which drove him to rallying two years ago are still there, but - for now - the 2012-spec ‘Iceman’ seems suitably chilled. Another thing that hasn’t changed is his pace, which he proved in style on the opening day of this week’s Jerez test by setting the fastest time for Lotus. Räikkönen discusses progress…

Q: You clocked the best time on day one at Jerez. Was it because of a magic car or a magic Kimi?
Kimi Räikkönen: Ha, I don’t really know. On the first day the car was good, but I have to say that on the second day it was even better. If it only set the fifth-best time then it was down to the fact that we tried different things. But, for sure, coming back to the real Formula One world and immediately doing the best time on the first day of testing was not bad. It was a nice warm feeling for the ego. But, of course, to really classify what the time was worth you would need to know what programme everybody else was running on. And don’t we all know that the times only really matter when we are in a real race? So, yes, it was nice, but don’t overestimate things! (laughs)

Q: So you feel comfortable in the car…
KR: Well, there are moments when the handling is easier than at other moments, but overall I am pretty happy with the car. Sure, there is always room for improvement, but I would say that it was not a bad start for Lotus and myself. At the moment the magic word is mileage - for all three of us: the team, the tyres and me.

Q: You did 117 laps on the second day. Did you start to feel it? Nothing compares to the G-forces when you drive a Formula One car…
KR: No, there were no problems whatsoever. That is why you exercise before.

Q: Topping the timesheets must have reassured you that after two years away you hadn’t lost it?
KR: To be honest it never entered my mind that I could have lost it. I knew when I drove the old car in Valencia that I would be okay. I could feel it immediately. Of course there isn’t 100 percent certainty, but it is coming close to that.

Q: When you left F1 for rallying you spoke about the monotony - the same tracks, the same hotels, the same people, and the same questions…
KR: …and nothing has changed. And believe me, I didn’t expect any change! (laughs) Sure, from that aspect rallying is much nicer, but that is a part of Formula One and if you want to race in this category you have to accept all aspects of it.

Q: So despite all these downsides you found Formula One so exciting that you came back?
KR: I found the racing so exciting. I missed the racing. And it is a fact that Formula One is the highest form of racing. So you would rather take it than leave it.

Q: Is it fair to say that driving a Formula One car is the best thing you can do with your life?
KR: Oh, I am sure there are more things that you can do in your life.

Q: But on a professional level…
KR: As I just said, if you want to compete at the highest level of racing you have to race in F1. That is what I enjoy. All the side affects you have to accept for the benefit of racing at the top level.

Q: You probably also missed winning…
KR: I don’t know if you miss winning, but of course every sound person would rather win than lose! (laughs) But it is not often that you can win all the time. It’s not that I’ve got used to winning.

Q: The team had a tough time last year but for you - in F1 - it’s been some time since you’ve raced a car not capable of winning a Grand Prix. Is that a worry?
KR: Ah, I didn’t have an outright winner of a car for many years. I would say that in 2009 I didn’t exactly have a winning car and people seem to forget that so easily. And how often do you win? Okay, I had some good wins in Formula One, but if you compare that with how long I have been in Formula One, then I haven’t won so often. But that is obviously part of a career.

Q: When did the idea of returning really take shape?
KR: That was during the summer when I was doing some NASCAR races. I enjoyed that direct fight with competitors again, the wheel-to-wheel fight. I realised that I was missing it. In rallying you also race against people, but not physically, and it was that physical aspect that I really missed. After that realisation, I spoke to my managers and they started to sort things out for me.

Q: Why didn’t the negotiations with Williams work out?
KR: We simply didn’t find a solution that would satisfy both sides. You know how it is - one side wants something and the other something else, so you drift apart. That’s how it goes sometimes in life. And sometimes the bad comes good. I am very happy where I am now.

Q: Lotus team principal Eric Boullier said that when he told the team that you were joining it immediately boosted morale. Did you expect you would ever be a morale booster?
KR: I know that the team had a tough year last season, but they have great people and so far it has been a good experience joining them. I hope we can have a good experience together in the months to come - and that will be an even bigger morale boost! If you ask me what my goal is for this season then the answer is that I don’t know. You must wait until the first couple of races and then I will probably be able to give a hint.

Q: During your two-year sabbatical you didn’t once attend a Grand Prix. Why?
KR: Well, I went to Monaco twice, but not to see the cars, only for business. And if you want to see cars properly - as someone like me, who is really interested in how the cars change, does - then you come to a test. And if you want to see the race then you see it on TV.

Q: Do you think anything significant has changed over the last two years?
KR: Not really, except for the tyres and having a different manufacturer for the tyres. The cars haven’t changed too much and everything else is business as usual.

Source: Formula1.com
Courtesy: Cécile

Räikkönen was wondering: Car broke down on walking pace

Kimi Räikkönen's car suffered a rare damage in Jerez on Wednesday at the beginning of the test.

- The floor of the car broke down in the morning. I went to the sand and drove back to the track at walking pace. The edge of the track was so high that the floor hit it. It took a little time to repair, Raikkonen told MTV3.

Regarless of the floor damage Raikkonen was drive staggering 117 rounds on Wednesday. He was fifth fastest in the day's results.

- The car does not have any special problems, of course there are some small jobs, but they more or less standard things, which may occur anytime. Even the floor problem was not a tecnical defect but my own fault. In first tests the most important thing is to get a lots of laps, Raikkonen said.

Räikkönen has one improvement in mind for the E20 car.

- Steering needs to be improved. I think we get it fixed before the season starts.

Getting used to Pirelli tyres has gone well to Finnish driver.

- I do not think the tyres will cause any problems. Today some of the compounds were better than others. It certainly depends on weather. Soft tyres did not work on so cold. Even Pirelli said that the hard tyres were the best of all. There is not any problems with the tyres when they work properly, Kimi stated.

MTV3, Jani Merimaa, Jerez

Courtesy: reppo

Massa: “A lot of work ahead of us, but the F2012 shows plenty of potential”

Jerez de la Frontera, 8 February – Felipe Massa has seen so much in his life that these two days of testing that apparently have not exactly been up to much, at least if you look at the time sheets, are not enough to scare him. Today, like yesterday, Felipe is a long way off the top of the times, seventh, 1”893 off Michael Schumacher who was fastest today. But it was not enough to wipe away his trademark smile.

“These two days have been different to usual, at least compared to what we’ve been used to at the start of previous years,” explained the Brazilian when he met with journalists. “This car is packed with elements that need plenty of fine tuning and they are different to what we had on previous cars. We concentrated on setting up a lot of specific points and there is still a lot to do: as usual, some things work the way they should, others less so. For example, I did a lot of laps at constant speed to gather information on the aerodynamics and on the general handling, because we need to be sure of the direction in which we need to go on the development front.”

Some aspects have been positive, as Felipe explained: “We made some set-up changes from yesterday to today and the results this produced were what we had expected. It’s important that this happened, as it means the car is reacting in the right way. Obviously, there is still a lot to do, maybe more than we had expected before we started, but we are definitely not scared of hard work!

“I think the F2012 could well suit my driving style better than the previous car: for example, there is much less understeer,” continued Felipe. “It’s only a case of working on it calmly and with concentration and that’s what we will continue to do over the next few days when Fernando drives. I think this car has great potential, also taking into account the point we are at now. Is this the ugliest Ferrari I’ve ever driven? I don’t know, as from the cockpit you can’t see the front wing and therefore not the step either: but definitely from the outside, it’s not the prettiest…”

Source: Ferrari.com

Schumi and Webber shine on day two at Jerez

Michael Schumacher led the way with the "old" while Mark Webber shone for the "new" brigade on day two of the pre-season test at Jerez

Whereas the returning Kimi Räikkönen and the stepped noses dominated the headlines on the opening day, it was Schumacher and his 2011 W02 that produced the goods on Wednesday.

With Mercedes opting to only introduce their new challenger at the Barcelona test, Schumacher and team-mate Nico Rosberg are putting a developed 2011 chassis through its paces in the south of Spain.

According to the BBC's Lee McKenzie, the Brackley squad are running the old car as "they are trying to hide a clever new front wing they have developed - they don't want their rivals to see it too early".

Schumacher, who was the second busiest man on the track having completed 132 laps, had no problems topping the timesheets as he was the only driver to dip under the 1:18 mark.

Webber, though, proved that there is once again plenty of pace in the new Red Bull as he was only 0.623 off Schumacher's best effort of 1:18.561.

The RB8 was the most impressive of the "new" cars, but Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo kept his Australian compatriot honest most of the time and was a further 0.403 off his pace.

Jules Bianchi, driving for Force India in the morning session before handing over to Paul di Resta in the afternoon, put in a decent shift and his 1:20.221 earned him fourth place with Lotus' Räikkönen completing the top five.

Räikkönen was limited to a handful of laps in the morning after he hit a bump at the end of a kerb and some debris went flying off his car.

Ferrari and McLaren were once again well down the timesheets with Felipe Massa in seventh place with a 1:20.454 and Jenson Button a further 0.234s behind in eighth spot.

"The thing to remember about Ferrari is that this is a revolutionary car for them," Sky Sports' Ted Kravitz reported.

"It's taken them in a direction away from the direction they'd taken in the last few years and with such aggressive concepts as the pullrod suspension and the very tight aero packaging, the team say they have a lot to learn and understand about the new car."

He added: "The team tell us they're not even looking at Webber's 1:19.1s and at present they don't know if they can match it, because that's not the focus of their work. That's reassuring for Ferrari fans, but I'm sure the drivers will be anxious to know where they stand in terms of pace as soon as possible."

McLaren also insisted at the close that it's all about learning.

"Another productive day: 85 laps and a 1m20.688s best. Lots learned today - despite the cold. Lewis already here and raring to go tomorrow!" McLaren's twitter feed read.

Caterham's Heikki Kovalainen was the busiest man, having completed 139 laps, while HRT's Pedro de la Rosa, who is driving a 2011 car, was more than four seconds off the pace with a 1:22.628.

Times
1. M Schumacher Mercedes GP W02 1:18.561 132
2. M Webber Red Bull RB8 1:19.184 +0.623 97
3. D Ricciardo Toro Rosso STR7 1:19.587 +1.026 100
4. J Bianchi Force India VJM-05 1:20.221 +1.660 46
5. K Räikkönen Lotus E20 1:20.239 +1.678 116
6. P di Resta Force India VJM-05 1:20.272 +1.711 67
7. F Massa Ferrari F2012 1:20.454 +1.893 93
8. J Button McLaren MP4-27 1:20.688 +2.127 83
9. S Perez Sauber C31 1:20.711 +2.150 66
10. P Maldonado Williams FW34 1:21.197 +2.636 95
11. H Kovalainen Caterham CT01 1:21.518 +2.957 139
12. P de la Rosa HRT F111 1:22.128 +3.567 64

Source: Planet-F1

Räikkönen arranged a familiar engineer into a key-position

Kimi Räikkönen is pleased now that he got Mark Slade as his own race engineer to Lotus

Räikkönen and Slade already worked together in McLaren. Now Slade will switch from Mercedes to Lotus starting from the last testing session before the opening race.

- I wanted him. Of course many things have to succeed in order for that to happen. Fortunately he came. I have a good engineer right now also, but Mark because I know him and he knows what I want, Räikkönen told MTV3.

- He has worked here before so I'm sure it's easier to start with him in a new team when he already has information about the team, Kimi justified.

Courtesy: Nicole

Ice cream eating and other strange Räikkös-questions

Kimi Räikkönen's press conferences in Jerez have interested the international reporters really much

During a couple of days they had already asked him about many things. MTV3.fi collected some of the strangest questions:

- Have you talked with Ferrari's employees like Massa for example? an Italian reporter asked Räikkönen.

- I said hi to him and he said hi to me when I saw him in the hotel this morning, Kimi replied.

One reporter wanted to know if Räikkönen had missed the reporters in F1-paddock:

- We missed you but did you miss us?

- I think you missed me more, Räikkönen said and made the reporters laugh.

Kimi was asked to compare if the atmosphere in WRC was different than in F1?

- Yes. In many ways. It doesn't change anything by talking about it. It's a different sport. They have a different way of doing things. Those all make the atmosphere different and give a different feeling between the teams and the drivers. The drivers aren't racing each other the same way as in F1 so that alone is a big difference. It changes a lot how people treat each other, Kimi said.

An American reporter wanted to know Kimi's thoughts about Nascar:

- You drove in Nationwide and truck-series. How seriously did you consider a career in US?

- If I could still live in Europe then I would probably had continued there but I would have to live in US and I wasn't very interested to move there. I had fun when testing and racing those cars. They have laidback but professional people there. The cars maybe don't look so good but they are well built. Who knows, maybe I will drive there more some day, Kimi said.

This week's most strange Räikkös-question was presented to Eric Boullier when he was asked: Do you have your ice cream storage filled for Kimi?

The question referred to Kimi's ice cream eating after he retired in 2009 Malaysia, but Boullier didn't understand the context.

- Does he like ice cream? Boullier asked before the backgrounds of the question were explained to him.



Courtesy: Nicole

Schumacher Sets Early Pace In Jerez

Michael Schumacher, driving Mercedes GP's 2011 car, set the tone on the second morning of pre-season testing at Jerez

While all things "new" shone on day one on Tuesday with the returning Kimi Räikkönen and stepped noses grabbing the headlines, it was the turn of the "old" to take the limelight on Wednesday.

With Mercedes opting to only introduce their new challenger in Barcelona, Schumacher and team-mate Nico Rosberg are putting a developed 2011 car through its paces in the south of Spain.

That, though, didn't stop the seven-time World Champion from setting the pace in the morning.

After Red Bull's Mark Webber dominated the early stages in the new RB8, Schumacher suddenly produced the goods out of nowhere to become the first man to dip under the 1:18 mark.

His 1:18.622 on soft rubber put him comfortably at the top of the timesheets and he proved that mark was no fluke as he posted a 1:18.561 soon after.

Webber was second quickest with a 1:19.184 with Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo 0.403 off his time in third place.

Tuesday's star Raikkonen had a brief run off the track early in the day. He hit a bump at the end of a kerb and some debris came flying off his car. He returned to the garage and the team changed his plank.

The Finn's best effort of the morning was a 1:20.239 to put him in fifth place while McLaren's Jenson Button posted the sixth best time.

Ferrari have promised that they will "collect as many data as possible to understand better the behaviour of the car. So, don't expect to see spectacular lap times from our side".

That was the case in the morning as Felipe Massa could only manage a 1:21.060.

Unofficial times:
1 M Schumacher Mercedes 1:18.622 53 laps
2 M Webber Red Bull 1:19.184 58
3 D Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:19.587 41
4 J Bianchi Force India 1:20.221 46
5 K Räikkkönen Lotus 1:20.239 31
6 J Button McLaren 1:20.688 (29)
7 F Massa Ferrari 1:21.060 45
8 P Maldonado Williams 1:21.197 61
9 S Perez Sauber 1:21.289 35
10 H Kovalainen Caterham 1:21.518 78
11 P de la Rosa HRT 1:23.468 23

Source: Planet-F1