FEBRUARY 7, 2012

Raikkonen quickest in new Lotus at Jerez!

Kimi Raikkonen (1:19.670) set the fastest lap of the 2012 season's first day of testing in Jerez aboard the new Lotus E20.

Kimi Raikkonen (1:19.670) set the fastest lap of the 2012 season's first day of testing in Jerez aboard the new Lotus E20.

The Finn, who recently did two days in a two-year-old Renault chassis at Valencia as a means of re-acclimatisation after two years away from F1, was quickly in the groove and set the time early in the day when conditions were at their quickest.

"It was a positive first day of testing and everything went almost to plan," the 2007 champion said. "We had no major issues and I got a good feel for the car and tyres. The tyres were more of a challenge in the afternoon when we ran with a scrubbed set, but overall it was a positive day.

"The lap times don't matter today. I'm happy with the balance of the car, which feels good, and the fact that we didn't have any major issues. Also, I did more than a race distance today and did not have any physical problems at all, which is good."

Technical director James Allison added: "It was a flawless morning with a slightly interrupted afternoon as we changed the second of the KERS batteries which we ran today.

"So far Kimi's feedback on the car has been complimentary in terms of the balance, braking and other features. The steering is slightly heavy for his liking at the moment, but we already have a different rack being completed, which he will use in Barcelona."

Testing times at this stage are rarely an accurate form barometer but that said, teams would rather be quick than slow, so it was also a promising start for the new Force India VJM05 when Paul Di Resta set second fastest lap (1:19.772).

"A good start to our winter test programme with 101 laps completed, which allowed us to get through all our objectives and a bit more," the Scot said. "The baseline balance felt pretty good and the car performed consistently over the longer runs, which was useful for collecting the data we need."

Technical director Andrew Green confirmed that the team had run on the hard and medium 2012-spec Pirelli tyres throughout. "As usual, Paul's feedback was excellent and we're starting to get a good idea of the set-up direction we should take for the coming days," he said.

Mercedes was present with its old WGP02 chassis, with work focused on learning about the new Pirellis. Nico Rosberg (1:20.219) ended up third quickest after running in the morning, with Michael Schumacher (1:20.794) taking over in the afternoon.

"The tyres feel like a step forward -- more consistent and comfortable to drive -- and the biggest difference is with the rear tyre, so thanks to everybody at Pirelli for their good job this winter," said the seven times champion.

Mark Webber (1:20.496) was fourth quickest as the much anticipated Red Bull RB8 took to the track for the first time.

"It was good," Webber said of the car's debut. "I felt quite comfortable quite quickly. It's very early days, but so far so good. We had a small delay this morning with a part due to fog at the airport. It's never part of the plan to give up running time, but you can't control mother nature and we'll aim for a better day tomorrow."

Fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo had his first day as a full Toro Rosso race driver and ended up fifth quickest (1:20.694) in the new STR7, which was unveiled yesterday.

"It was great to experience taking a completely new car out of the garage," he enthused. "We had a very productive morning, doing over 40 laps and we made good progress. In the afternoon we did a couple of longer runs, but had to cut it short, although we only lost an hour."

Team principal Franz Tost explained: "We ran trouble free until we lost some oil pressure, at which point the engine protector did its job and stopped the car."

Kamui Kobayashi (1:21.353) ended the day seventh fastest in the new Sauber C31 and won the award for most laps of the day (106), which was five more than Di Resta completed at Force India.

Jenson Button (1:21.530) gave the new McLaren MP4-27 its baptism and conducted shorter runs before completing a thorough systems check to ensure the car was running reliably.

After lunch the team began a number of longer runs aimed at measuring wear on Pirelli's new-spec rubber and assessing the MP4-27's fundamental handling characteristics over the course of a stint.

"We did a 15-lap timed run this afternoon, which is a good starting point for us and the consistency was okay," Button said. "It's been a positive day: there are no niggly areas with the car, which is nice. Overall, today was just a starting point and all about putting miles on the car. There are some promising signs, so I'm happy."

Felipe Massa (1:22.815) debuted the new Ferrari F2012 and managed 69 laps with a measuring gauge attached to the car.

Heikki Kovalainen did just under 30 laps in the new Caterham before losing track time to a technical issue.

"It's always a good feeling to see the new car out on track for the first time after all the hours everybody has put in over the last few months to get us to this point," said Mike Gascoyne.

"We had to bring day one to an early end after damage to the starter shaft meant we were unable to start the engine, which is a shame because it was an unusual issue and we had enjoyed a positive morning. Heikki's early feedback on the car is good and there is plenty to come so we are looking forward to a positive three days."

Williams unveiled its FW34 in the Jerez pitlane and Pastor Maldonado managed 1:23.371 in 25 laps, while Pedro De la Rosa (1:23.676) had his first run as an HRT driver.