Having two and a half days in the C39-Ferrari prior to the new Formula 1 season was ‘a far cry’ from days gone past, but Kimi Räikkönen said it was important to make the most of the track time available to him.
The Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN driver lost half a day on Wednesday as the team gave Robert Kubica the morning session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but Räikkönen returned to the car for a full day of running on Friday, the final day of testing before the season begins next month.
Räikkönen completed one hundred and fifteen laps on Friday, but the veteran Finn, who looks set to become the most experienced driver in Formula 1 history in 2020, says it was important to get in the amount of running he did in order to set the foundations of the season for Alfa Romeo.
“Being in the car for just two and a half days before the season is a far cry from what we used to do in the past, so it was important to make the most these two weeks,” said Räikkönen. “Testing may not be glamorous and the days are long, but the work we do here sets the foundation for our season.
“We have done our homework, next time we’ll be in the car is when it matters, in Australia.”
“We have completed nearly every item on our testing list” – Jan Monchaux
Jan Monchaux, the Technical Director at Alfa Romeo, says there is satisfaction within the team of a ‘job well done’ during the six days of testing, with Räikkönen, Kubica and Antonio Giovinazzi all logging significant amounts of laps and securing all important data.
However, Monchaux acknowledges that the hard work is about to start as Alfa Romeo prepare for the new season that begins in Australia next month, with final touches still to be made to the C39-Ferrari in order to maximise its potential at Albert Park.
“We can look back at the last two weeks with satisfaction for a job well done, although we are fully aware that the real task is still ahead of us,” said Monchaux. “Over these two tests, we have gained a good understanding of the C39 and we feel prepared for the start of the season.
“We have completed nearly every item on our testing list, which is what you set out to do before even looking at performance, and we can now look forward to putting the final touches on the car before flying to Australia.”
