Kimi Raikkonen impresses Lotus in his first test since returning to Formula 1
Lotus's trackside operations engineer Alan Permane said Kimi Raikkonen proved on his first day back in a Formula 1 cockpit that his return to grand prix racing can be a success
Raikkonen is spending two days testing a 2010 Renault at Valencia this week as he settles back into F1 after two seasons in the World Rally Championship.
No times were released from today's test, and Raikkonen's pace would not be representative as he is using demonstration tyres and an older car, but Permane said his quality had shown through.
"From the first run he was pretty much there," Permane told BBC Sport. "It's very difficult to know where he should be but he was pretty much on the pace on the first run. He didn't find a whole lot of pace during the day.
"I don't see any reason why he won't be on the pace - you can tell he's a very, very experienced driver.
"It was very clear we were working with a former world champion. It was a good day."
Permane added that he could not understand why Raikkonen had a reputation for being uncommunicative, as he had got on well with the Lotus team so far.
"He must have two faces - one for [the media]," Permane said. "He's perfectly normal. He was very happy to sit and talk about the car for as long as it takes. He's very open."
Share Or Save This Story
What F1 history tells us about three-way title deciders
On this day: Raikkonen’s Suzuka masterclass
The contrasting fortunes of F1's big-name moves to Ferrari
The key moments in Renault's F1 history as it bids farewell
Was short-lived Lotus 76 simply a lame duck or never given a fair crack of the whip?
The man who shaped the Formula 1 car
MotoGP British GP: Bezzecchi leads Aprilia domination in Friday practice
FIA wants F1 cars to lose another 80kg under next rules overhaul
KTM allowed to fix faulty MotoGP engine after U-turn from rivals
How a Le Mans winner is changing the game for female racing in Japan
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments