Kimi Raikkonen says the early indications of Alfa Romeo’s C38 are “pretty positive”, revealing he has yet to properly push the car’s potential.
Raikkonen has returned to the team with which he made his Formula 1 debut in 2001, albeit now competing under the Alfa Romeo guise following the rebrand earlier this month.
Alfa Romeo completed fewer laps than only expected title contenders Mercedes and Ferrari through last week’s opening four-day test at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya, while Raikkonen placed fourth on the combined timesheets.
“Pretty positive, I would say,” said Raikkonen on his first week in the C38.
“We did a decent amount of laps but there’s still a lot to learn and we haven’t really done any set-up work. That’s for next week.
“We haven’t done any qualifying laps, we just ran with difference tyres, but I think generally it’s a well-balanced car and it has pretty good grip. Once we start pushing we’ll see where we get.”
This season marks Raikkonen’s first since his rookie season in which he is part of a team that will ostensibly not be challenging for victories.
When asked whether that altered his mindset and goals, Raikkonen replied: “They’re not different because I don’t have any expectations.
“We can only do our best, but I think the team has built a good car and I think that’s a good starting point.
“We still have a lot of things to work on, for sure more work to be done than maybe in a bigger team, but I think so far it has been good.”
