Raikkonen says E21 feels better than last year’s car
2013 F1 season
Kimi Raikkonen said his first impression of the new Lotus E21 was positive.
“Sure it feels better than last year,” he told media at Jerez. “I think we have a good car but how good it is in the end we will only see this year during races during the season but it’s not a bad step.”
Raikkonen completed just 40 laps on his first day in the car. He said he had to have his seat adjusted early in the session and his running was curtailed by a clutch problem later on.
Lotus tested new exhaust arrangements today: “We run kind of the same exhaust system in the end,” he said. “It should be an improvement and it’s too early to say. We had a pretty good first two days and it feels OK for me.”
He agreed there were grounds to expect his second year at Lotus would be better than the first:
“It’s more easy because I know the team and I know the people and they know me,” he said. “But it doesn’t mean that we’re suddenly going to be much faster or do better.”
“There’s an awful lot of things that can work in your favour or go against you. In theory it should be more easy but I can’t believe that we’re suddenly going to turn it around and start to be something different than we finished the last year.
“Time will tell but it’s definitely more easy to come here this year than it was a year ago because I know the team and they know me.”
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OG Kush (@ogkush7) said on 7th February 2013, 19:33
Good ol Kimi. Fired up as ever.
Looking forward to see them pick up where they left off.
DD42 said on 7th February 2013, 19:33
Did Raikkonen say me or “mean”? It’s kind of funny if he’s saying they now know mean, like they didn’t before they knew Kimi! He must’ve really given them hell! Lol
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) said on 7th February 2013, 19:37
My bad – changed it.
OmarR-Pepper (@omarr-pepper) said on 7th February 2013, 23:05
Kimi has turn nice teammates into mean people :P GO KIMI!!!!!!!!!!!
JamieFranklinF1 (@jamiefranklinf1) said on 7th February 2013, 19:50
I would be quite worried if it wasn’t an improvement to be honest! :P
thespuditron (@spud) said on 7th February 2013, 21:09
This gives me confidence. I’m looking forward to this now. :) #BelieveInTeamEnstone! :P
BasCB (@bascb) said on 8th February 2013, 9:50
:-) i hope it does work out, would be good to have them stay one of the front runner teams and spread the wins between more of them regularly @spud
thespuditron (@spud) said on 8th February 2013, 10:52
@bascb I hope so. It’d be wicked! I was soooo happy (and so nervous) during that race in Abu Dhabi. I’d like some more of that please! :D
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner) said on 7th February 2013, 21:13
*waits for chassis failure*
I Love the Pope said on 7th February 2013, 21:39
Its okay.