Raikkonen gives first verdict on Ferrari’s new car

2017 F1 season

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Kimi Raikkonen reported no problems with Ferrari’s new F1 car following its first run at the team’s Fiorano test track today.

“Obviously we don’t go full speed, it’s the install lap and the very first lap with the new car so it all felt OK,” said Raikkonen after his first stint in the SF70H.

Compare Ferrari’s new SF70H with last year’s car
“It’s just the first touch, we get some more today, but the main work starts when we go testing in Barcelona. But so far so good and we’ll go from there.”

The new F1 cars for 2017 are 20 centimetres wider than last year but the driving position remains largely unaffected. “It feels pretty similar than last year,” said Raikkonen, “just a few changes but not an awful lot different.”

Ferrari team principal Mauricio Arrivabene said he doesn’t expect to get a read on the team’s competitiveness during the tests which begin next week.

“The next two weeks we’re going to be in Barcelona, we will follow our programme and in Melbourne then we will see where we are,” he said.

“It’s always a big emotion when you’re going to see, live, a new Ferrari,” Arrivabene added. “Either a GT car or a Formula One car, it’s the same emotion.”

“Of course for me it’s something special because I’m more involved in the Formula One. Having said so, looking the car, was thinking about the effort, the dedication, the professionalism and passion of all the people in Ferrari put together to lift up this car. The car is the result of a team effort and I’m very proud about this.”

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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36 comments on “Raikkonen gives first verdict on Ferrari’s new car”

  1. Actually the first thing he said was

    Bwoah!

    And I’m not even kidding

    1. petebaldwin (@)
      24th February 2017, 18:19

      I’d be more surprised if the first thing he said wasn’t Bwoah! :D

  2. I have to say, even from that video, even on it’s first little pootling installation laps, it looks freaking sweet.

    Even if aero dooms overtaking this year, the cars are going to look just wonderfully dramatic on track going at the new pace.

    The engine noise is also better every year. Sounds primal and growling.

    1. The engines always sound much better in fan videos. Wish they could get it sorted on TV, it’s like they’re still using the old settings from the V8 era…

    2. They’ll only look dramatic on-track if we get decent camera angles back. The super-wide shots negate all concept of speed; zoom in on cars, add a few more fixed-point cameras i.e. they don’t swivel or anything, then I’ll be happy

      1. Agree. F1 cars are actually pretty quick in person. On TV, not so much.

      2. @timi Also the on board cameras need improving (or downgrading). One of the reasons why they looked so easy to drive was because image stabilisation is so advanced that you see absolutely no vibrations or instability on board.

        Rewind to ten years ago and this was a completely different story

        1. @strontium they should be mounted on the helmet, the tech is good enough to have good quality images in small enough devices that won’t bother the driver.

          1. @johnmilk Oh for sure…I’ve been eager for more of that ever since Bottas had a helmet cam on, and I think it was even mounted on the side of his helmet about eye level, but not positive on that. Might have been on top. Please Liberty…more of that. It truly gave us more of an incite into what it is like for them driving these cars.

          2. @johnmilk
            They have helmet cameras in IndyCar – the images are FANTASTIC:
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdJ5nHSwZrc

            And just look at the driver going through a very fast Spa-like section at Road America:
            https://youtu.be/hnVs9LRdWBk?t=100
            AMAZING SHOTS!! You literally can feel the speed.

          3. That is awesome footage. We need that

          4. @johnmilk, I’m pretty certain that this has already been discussed multiple times with GT-Racer – IIRC, he has noted that the helmet manufacturers have raised concerns about the installation of cameras within the helmet compromising the structural integrity of the helmet in an accident.

            @damon, I believe that IndyCAR stopped experimenting with such helmet cameras back in 2015 because of problems with integrating them into the helmets (note that all of the test footage is from 2014-2015).

          5. I’m sorry to say it anon, that sounds like an excuse from the manufacturers, there are plenty of tiny cameras, even if they would have to make changes to the design that compromise efficency the losses would be minor and the same for everybody.

            They have a lot of tech inside those helmets, that don’t compromise safety, and this will, if they patch it, sure, if they properly integrate it, don’t think so.

            I don’t buy into that

      3. Yes I remember the 2006 to 08s where they had fix point cameras and the cars looked so fast. This and Narain in F1 made me a fan so come back fixed cameras !!

      4. @timi You are comment of the day in my opinion.

  3. Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
    24th February 2017, 18:46

    That looks absolutely fantastic! I’m not a Ferrari fan but that is the best looking F1 car for a lot of years, I even love the T wing on the fin. This is also the first time since the hybrid engines were introduced that I’ve heard one that sounds great, it’s got a really hearty note to it and sounds raw off the throttle. These cars are serious and are going to test the drivers to the limit. We may even see the old Kimi back.

    1. Really? I’d say the Mercedes and now Mclaren look a lot better. Never cared much for how Mercedes cars looked, but this year it’s by far the best looking one.

      1. Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
        24th February 2017, 21:17

        @patrickl I suppose that’s the great thing about the variety we have this year that it’s giving a good mix of opinions. I just can’t get used to the livery of the Mclaren, the lines of the car look great though. Merc is beautiful I agree there, I really like the Renault as well (and the Sauber). Force India is a bit of a dog ha

      2. Am I the only one that likes the Renault as well? I don’t really care for the looks of the Merc, but McLaren is a nice change. I never liked the black/grey livery of past years.

        1. Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
          24th February 2017, 21:32

          @addvariety No I love the Renault as well. Got a really aggressive look.

          1. @rdotquestionmark Nice to know I’m not the only one then. ;-) I agree, it’s got a great aggressive look and together with the Ferrari it’s the only car that looks got from all angles.
            – Sauber: 4 – looks horrible no matter the angle, no correct that: only directly from the front does it look good
            – Force India: 5 – that nose, ugh! average at best for all other angles, side is best
            – Mercedes: 7 – the livery really does nothing for me, too clinical, but the car itself is nice
            – McLaren: 7 – looks great from a lot of angles, but not so from certain others, mixed bag, but better than last year
            – Ferrari: 9 – despite the white elements (not my taste) everything is so balanced, doesn’t look aggressive, just beautiful
            – Renault: 10 – everything from the matte black finish, the carbon wings (not painted) and perfect gold-ish yellow colour to the aggressive lines and perfect contours, this is by far the best looking car

            I expect RBR to come close to Renault in terms of looks, but STR and Haas to remain mediocre. Although I hope for a surprise from Haas.

          2. @addvariety certainly a mix of opinions coz I love. It’s the Renault and the Mercedes. I’m not so big on the Ferrari, looks too square where the nose meets the bulkhead for me, the coke bottle is okay but I like it more on the merc. Interested to see red bull. Was disappointed by the McLaren livery, so much black, poorly delivered, the shape of the car itself is intriguing tho

        2. Yes I too like McLaren’s change. Nothing better than some color on the F1 tracks rather than grey or lots of black.

          @addvariety

        3. yepp the renault is the beat so far.

    2. Yes the T wing looks interesting, I hope it delivers on track !

    3. Fudge Kobayashi (@)
      25th February 2017, 7:56

      Best looking car for years? With a shark fin highlighted in white looking like an actual billboard, a ridiculous T wing sprouting from aforementioned sharkfin billboard AND a tiny square looking chode nose? Dreaming mate. This car is worse than the FI in my opinion and that’s saying something. Only the weird side pods are kinda nice.

  4. Best looking car so far. That picture is awesome.

  5. Is it just me after months of no F1 or is the engine sounding much more aggressive?

    1. That’s what the engines sound like live. And each different engine manufacturer sounds different, so you can often pick who is about to appear around a bend by the engine sound. You hear various whistles, growls and rattles as they go about their business. And you can hear the tyres on edge around the corners, or giving up when the driver pushes too hard. Unfortunately, you don’t get to hear any of it in the official FOM coverage where it is all just a dull background sound. Fan videos mostly capture the goodness, so there’s no reason that the FOM coverage cannot – except perhaps that Bernie didn’t like these engines and wanted to make them sound boring. Hoping this year we all get to hear it.

      1. I dunno, I heard them live last year at Spa and this seems louder and more growling at the downshifts/half throttle to me.

        The GP2 engines tough, they sound pretty cool imho.

  6. OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
    24th February 2017, 22:27

    @keithcollantine after all the cars are launched, will you make the “prettiest car” poll?
    Sauber to me.

  7. That seagull wing sitting on the shark fin looks absolutely ridiculous. Funny how peoples taste in the cars vary drastically. Some people love this new Ferrari and think it’s the best in decades but hate the McLaren or Mercedes. Personally I don’t care for the looks of this Ferrari but the sound is awesome! I don’t know why the cars sound like crap on TV but great in person and fan videos.

    1. Yeah I was just thinking about that, but that’s human nature and rife throughout society though, eh? Thank goodness we don’t all think the same or like the same things or wouldn’t life be boring? I have liked the Mercs the best in these recent years and it remains the same for me this year, although I think all the cars look way better in general, and I think they’ll all look even better once in their real race trim in Australia.

      As to the sound on TV, I do hope Liberty will address that. What especially bugs me is when you see a car go by full screen, and are hearing the sound from another car. Seems so ‘sound 101’ to get that right. The American carriers of NASCAR will stop their commentary every once in a while, like on a restart for example, for a minute or so of ‘Crank it Up’, and with Surround Sound it’s awesome. All you’re hearing is the cars blasting by inches from the wall, in real time, not out of sync.

  8. Despite this being an installation, Will Buxton tweeted that this car, in the cold and damp, was already the 6th fastest F1 car around Fiorano ever. 2 seconds off the F12004. In the damp.
    This is going to be one hell of a fast year.

    1. Wooooohoooo @hahostolze you got me mega excited! I’m looking forward to seeing them all in action in qualy, the dunces that think I won’t notice the cars being faster have no idea what they’re talking about. Come on faster F1!!!

  9. Thank you for the video…the car looks good straight out of the box….
    Did Seb get to drive???

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