Raikkonen: “A lot of work to do but we are in the right direction”

Twelfth and sixth times. This is Kimi Raikkonen's assessment at the end of Friday's US Formula 1 GP in Austin.

“The day started with some difficulties in the first free practice session, where we concentrated our work on the analysis of different aerodynamic load solutions” commented Raikkonen. “I wasn't comfortable with the set-up choice and controlling the car wasn't easy. In the afternoon we made some changes and the behavior of my car has definitely improved. With the Medium compound I managed to do a good lap and I think that, if I hadn't been hindered by traffic, I could have done even better. We still have a lot of work to do before tomorrow's qualifying, but the improvement recorded between the two sessions seems to say that we are in the right direction, we just need to continue to do our best."

“Contrary to what was recorded in the two previous editions of this Grand Prix, the asphalt today was less slippery and this suggests a further evolution in terms of grip, although to confirm any expectations we must wait for the days to come” added Pat Fry. “Overall it was a positive day and we managed to complete without problems a program which also included some experimental tests with a view to 2015 on the agenda. Obviously priority was given to setting the settings of the two cars, study of the best aerodynamic configuration and power unit control systems, in order to best adapt to the characteristics of this track. It was not easy to find a balance and a set-up that satisfied both riders, also due to the strong wind that greatly disturbed the second test session, and this evening the different solutions tested will be examined by the engineers. The performance of the tires is decidedly different compared to the last race in Sochi: this will allow us to evaluate different strategies for the race, even if we are aware that we have extremely competitive opponents ahead of us."