Source: autosport.com | lotusf1team.com | twitter
A cool morning at the brand new Circuit of the Americas saw Kimi and Romain complete useful race simulation runs to clinch P14 / 15 respectively as the field tiptoed around their inaugural laps of the Austin track.
Summary
- An early start to the day; clear blue skies above but very low air and track temperatures below
- The brand new COTA track proved to be extremely green; all drivers notably struggling for grip in the initial stages with rapid track evolution as the session progressed
- Kimi ran a new exhaust layout and front wing configuration as trialled during the Abu Dhabi Young Driver test last week
- Romain posted the fastest top speed of the morning at 234kph
- A trouble-free morning on track saw fleeting appearances of the yellow flags for a few minor spins in an otherwise un-interrupted session
Kimi Räikkönen, E20-05
Position: P14
Fastest Lap: 1:41.880
Laps Completed: 23
Key Moments:
00mins: First car out on track for an install run; fresh hard tyres to start the day
17mins: Opening run; extremely slippery track surface, tiptoes around to gather the necessary data
52mins: Next outing sees consistent if unspectacular lap times on scrubbed hards
81mins: Final stint of the morning; fresh hard rubber this time around
90mins: Session ends; P14 for the Finn
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m38.125 30 2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m39.543s + 1.418s 28 3. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m40.337s + 2.212s 29 4. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m40.528s + 2.403s 29 5. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m40.650s + 2.525s 30 6. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m40.966s + 2.841s 26 7. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m41.023s + 2.898s 29 8. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m41.036s + 2.911s 28 9. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m41.159s + 3.034s 32 10. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m41.473s + 3.348s 29 11. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m41.783s + 3.658s 29 12. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m41.825s + 3.700s 28 13. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m41.833s + 3.708s 29 14. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m41.880s + 3.755s 23 15. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m41.998s + 3.873s 27 16. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m42.539s + 4.414s 30 17. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m42.588s + 4.463s 25 18. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1m43.288s + 5.163s 23 19. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1m43.443s + 5.318s 28 20. Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1m43.522s + 5.397s 23 21. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1m44.464s + 6.339s 24 22. Bruno Senna Williams-Renault 1m44.548s + 6.423s 29 23. Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth 1m46.917s + 8.792s 13 24. Ma Qing Hua HRT-Cosworth 1m48.559s + 10.434s 19
KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN SPACE 