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Raikkonen frustrated again by weather

FerrariToday Raikkonen completed a further 20 laps of testing for Ferrari at the Vallelunga circuit in Italy. The 27 year old continued to battle bad weather on day two, as he familiarised himself with the team and last seasons 248 car.

The Finn set a best lap time of 1:22.299, while his Brazilian team-mate posted a faster lap of 1:18.767 after completing 31 laps in the F2007 car.

Due to bad weather, the Italian squad have chosen to extend testing to include Friday. The team have battled the elements all week, favouring this circuit over Mugello after snow was forecast.

Speaking to Gazzetta Dello Sport, Raikkonen spoke of his frustration over the damp conditions he faced on day one. “My debut in the Ferrari went well, but honestly I had hoped for something more, I would have liked to drive it more in the dry instead of for just five laps.

“I’m happy, but I could have been a lot more. The seven tenths gap to Massa is surely down to that, because I didn’t have time to change some things in the car. These things can happen when you’re looking for the limit. I tried to, but I still don’t know much about the car, and in any case I never lost control so in the end the spin turned out to be quite enjoyable.”

Asked whether he would rather be driving the new F2007, Raikkonen responded, “No, there’s no point, the program is right as is. I look closely at the F2007 because I like it, and when I test it myself next week I’ll know more about it.”

A tired, frustrated and bedraggled Raikkonen refused to comment on comparisons between his new and old team, but the Finn hinted that he had enjoyed the experience, “there are many things different, I will have to get used to them, but I’m not exactly a rookie. There’s still a lot of pressure, I don’t see differences from McLaren, of which I don’t want to talk about anyway. It was a bit emotional, but in the circumstances I was more interested in the technical aspects than the emotional ones.”

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