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Raikkonen 'positive' but plays down fastest time

ESPNF1 Staff
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Kimi Raikkonen: "All the changes we have made over testing have been improving the car" © Getty Images
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Kimi Raikkonen has warned against reading anything into his fastest lap time at the final pre-season test, but says he is feeling positive ahead of the season opener at Melbourne.

Raikkonen top and tailed his winter testing with fastest laps on the first and final days, but he also missed out on two days due to a suspension problem at the second test. He is confident the team has made progress during its limited testing time and is now looking forward to the Australian Grand Prix in two week's time.

"Of course, the fastest time at the end of the day looks good but no-one will know how fast any of the cars are until we get to qualifying at Albert Park," Raikkonen said. "All the changes we have made over testing have been improving the car, so we'll have to see what happens in Melbourne in a couple of weeks' time. I'm feeling positive."

He completed 121 laps on his final day in the car and said he was satisfied with the mileage he covered.

"I was happy with today's running. We didn't have any major issues so it was certainly better than yesterday. Everything worked, we tried a lot of set-ups on the car and it all came together well. It was a long time in the car today but I feel fine. It was cooler today so the tyres didn't work as well as otherwise but everything was okay."

Lotus team principal Eric Boullier is confident the suspension problems discovered at the second test are now solved.

"After the disappointment of last week, this test was crucial and I think we did a good job," Boullier added. "First of all, we've been able to confirm that the changes made to the car fixed our front suspension problems. We were confident that the redesign was well conceived and well executed, but we have demonstrated the integrity of the modified part. It is a tribute to the all team, which has been working amazingly hard over the last few days in order to fly the E20 on time to Barcelona.

"Despite the rain and a few technical glitches, we managed to learn more about the new car. We now have a better understanding of it, and have a few positive setup directions that we can take further. Moreover, both drivers seem happy with the balance and tyre degradation. We are cautiously optimistic for the future and now looking forward to Melbourne."

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