Kimi Raikkonen: Wait until the race to comment on the engine
Kimi Raikkonen distanced himself from passing any judgment about the Ferrari power unit. One of the biggest talking points heading into the pre-season test in Bahrain was Ferrari's new engine for 2021.
Ferrari's power unit was the biggest disappointment of the 2020 season as Ferrari had to make substantial overhauls to adhere to the FIA's regulations. When asked about the improvements Ferrari had made on the engine side, Kimi Raikkonen was unsure of the gains made on the power unit.
"It’s impossible to compare it to something we’ve run last year in different conditions,” Raikkonen said after the morning session.
“If it’s hundreds of horsepower, for sure then you can tell, but I’m sure that it’s better, but I’m also sure that the others have not just stayed the same and where they were last year.
“So we’ll have to wait until the race to see where we are, but I’m sure that it’s a step forward.”
Speaking about track conditions, Kimi Raikkonen was not entirely comfortable but felt the car was better in certain sections of the track.
“Conditions are quite tricky with the wind so it’s hard to say exactly where we are compared to the previous car,” he said.
“I think there were places where it felt really good and with some wind, it was a bit difficult in other places but that was similar for everybody.”
Solid day for Kimi Raikkonen and Alfa Romeo
Kimi Raikkonen only took part in the morning session and was the twelfth fastest in the overall standings after racking up 63 laps of mileage. Antonio Giovinazzi took over in the afternoon session and ultimately finished fifth in the overall standings.
Alfa Romeo had a productive day with 131 laps on the board and looked impressive in certain sections of the track. The team will be looking to inch closer to the midfield this year.