• Jerez Test, Day Four

Lotus 'very happy' with E21 - Raikkonen

Kimi Raikkonen edged out Jules Bianchi's best time by 0.027s © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• Report:
• Raikkonen tops times on final day
  

• Drivers:
• Kimi Räikkönen

• Teams:
• Lotus F1

Kimi Raikkonen said Lotus is "very happy" with how the E21 is handling after setting the fastest time of the final day of testing at Jerez.

After Romain Grosjean topped the time sheets on day two of the test, Raikkonen ensured a Lotus was top again on the last day as he set a time of 1:18.148. His lap - set on soft tyres - was only bettered by Felipe Massa all week, and while Raikkonen was predictably reserved about the significance of the time he said the team was pleased to confirm that the car is a step forward from 2012.

"It's a pretty similar starting point, for sure," Raikkonen said. "It feels probably a little bit better car than we had last year and finished last year with but it's difficult to compare; it's a different place and different tyres. But we're very happy with how the handling is and how we did some running. For sure there are some things we have to improve but this is normal, it's only the first test.

"For us it's more important to have a good feeling and know what we have done and learn from those."

Raikkonen said it was too early to compare the car to any of Lotus' rivals, but added that the test had gone as well as the team could have hoped.

"I have no idea what the others are doing. We are happy with what we achieved but it was a pretty good first test so we will see at the first race but so far it's pretty OK. I think it's just everywhere a bit better. We still have a lot of work to do and I'm sure we're going to have a hard year as we try to do well but that's normal in Formula One.

"I would say it was a pretty normal first few days just getting things as we want and trying to fit things. We were doing our own stuff and we achieved more or less everything that we wanted."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.