• Jerez test, Day 1

Allison pleased with Lotus platform

James Allison says Kimi Raikkonen has proved himself to be "a class act" during the first morning of testing © Sutton Images

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Technical director James Allison says that Lotus has built a "strong platform" during the first morning of testing in Jerez.

Although there was no official lunch break at the circuit, Kimi Raikkonen topped the timesheets at 13:00 after completing 50 laps in a best time of 1:19.670. With it being Raikkonen's first full pre-season test since 2009 and the first time he has driven on the Pirelli tyres it was an impressive performance, but Allison said the most important thing was the amount of laps completed.

"It's impossible to say (how relevant the times are)," Allison told the Lotus website. "The teams are doing a whole mixture of different programmes at the moment and we obviously don't have any clear idea of what the others might be working on currently. We will start to know where we stand as things unfold over the coming days and weeks, but it's still very early doors and the real picture will only come together when we get to Melbourne for the first race.

"The important thing is that we've completed the most number of laps so far; while there are obviously no prizes for that, it gives us a strong platform on which to base our development programme."

Allison added that Raikkonen's position as the fastest man on the first morning displayed how good he is.

"You can tell Kimi is a class act. He gets in the car and is on the pace straight away; there's no building up to it. His commitment is instant and the lap times show that. His fitness level is also good which has allowed him to be consistent, and he hasn't had any major 'moments' out on track; he seems to have everything very much under control.

"So far his feedback on the car has been good. Kimi has been complimentary about the balance of the car, the braking and other features. The steering is slightly heavy for his liking at the moment, but other than that he's been comfortable."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.