McLaren Duo Reserve Judgement on New Car's Pace

McLaren driver Kimi Raikkonen refused to give a judgement on the performance of the new MP4-19B following today's practice for the Fren Grand Prix.

Raikkonen decided not to come out in the opening session after a heavy rain hit the Magny-Cours circuit, and the Finn posted the 10th quickest time in the second session after covering just 10 laps.

McLaren are debuting their revised car in France this weekend following their worst start to a Formula One season in decades. Raikkonen, however, said the day had been inconclusive and he refused to give a verdict on the new car.

"We only did one run today because of the weather, which is a shame," said the Finn. "However the car felt good, but that is all I can say at the moment. There is definitely more to come as I didn't even push particularly hard.

"It's difficult to say how big a step forward we have taken, but it should become clear as the weekend progresses."

Scottish teammate David Coulthard finished as seventh quickest, and he too said the true picture would be seen tomorrow.

"Our running today was affected by the wet weather, so there is very little data to work with, but it's the same for everybody," said Coulthard. "Fortunately we don't have to make a decision about tyres until lunchtime tomorrow, so hopefully the weather will stay dry.

"However, so far so good, but we will only really know how good the 19B is once we have completed qualifying and the race."