Kimi Raikkonen would have liked a more straightforward opening day at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, but the Finn insists Scuderia Ferrari can improve over the rest of the weekend.
Raikkonen ended up sixth fastest in the morning session in Mexico, 1.184 seconds off the pace of Valtteri Bottas, and whilst improving to fifth in the afternoon, he was 0.341 seconds off Daniel Ricciardo, while he ended up one place behind team-mate Sebastian Vettel in both sessions.
The track conditions were far from ideal on Friday, but Raikkonen says the team will go through their data overnight to ensure a more competitive SF70H on Saturday.
“It was a normal Friday, trying different things and solutions to use in the car,” said Raikkonen. “Because of the high altitude the track conditions were not easy, always feeling a bit slippery. In some places it was ok while in some others it was a bit more difficult.
“Obviously you always want to have an easier and more straightforward day, with a better feeling from the beginning, but it’s the normal story on Friday.
“It’s the first practice and we can improve. In the evening we’ll go through everything, figure out what’s best and get ready for tomorrow.”