Yesterday, Kimi Raikkonen took to the Vallelunga circuit in a Ferrari 248. It s the first time Raikkonen has driven a F1 spec car since the Brazilian Grand Prix three months ago, and his first time in the Ferrari.
It s been a frustrating time for the 27 year old Finn who has been forced to watch from the sidelines during recent winter testing sessions due to contractual restrictions with his old team McLaren. However, the long awaited debut of Raikkonen/Ferrari partnership took to the track yesterday, completing 39 laps of Vallelunga’s 2.5 mile ‘Piero Taruffi’ circuit near Rome, Italy.
Raikkonen was joined by team-mate Felipe Massa in the new F2007, the Brazilian completing 74 laps following the shakedown of the new car at Fiorano last week. The Finn took the whole experience in his stride, setting a respectable time of 1:15.226 despite the damp conditions and unfamiliarity of tyres, car and track. His Brazilian team-mate meanwhile, set a time of 1:14.493, as he continued development work for the 2007 contender. The team will continue testing today, with Kimi unlikely to drive the F2007 for at least a week.
