Scuderia Ferrari nears Barcelona summit?
A good start to the weekend in Catalonia for Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen. But while the two drivers finished the day as close as possible to the Mercedes, caution remains the order of the day in the Prancing Horse clan.

Kimi Räikkönen:
–Essais Libres 1 : 2e en 1:24:089.
Eighteen laps completed.
Six stints: one on hard tires, five on soft tires (including three on scrubbed soft « tires »)
–Essais Libres 2 : 2e en 1:24:176,
Thirty-one laps course.
Two stints on medium tires (including one on scrubbed medium tires), 5 stints on scrubbed soft tires.
In the continuation of a good morning finishing in the top two positions in the standings, the afternoon within the Scuderia remained very convincing. By climbing to second position and less than three-tenths off the reference time on scrubbed soft tires (unlike all his teammates), Kimi Räikkönen appeared very spirited this time.
Iceman was therefore globally satisfied in front of the microphones at the end of this second testing session: “It wasn’t a bad day. We completed our normal Friday work. I did encounter a small problem in the last half-hour of the session: I had to return to the garage for my engineers to inspect my car. But we have reached where we wanted to be. Compared to Russia, it’s easier to make our tires work.”
However, the 2007 World Champion has understood it well: his team cannot get carried away. Scuderia Ferrari, in fact, often treats us to interesting days on Fridays before yielding to Mercedes in Qualifying or Race: « It’s still difficult to know where we stand compared to our rivals. All I know is that it wasn’t a bad day. We always need to improve, especially regarding the balance of the car. It’s also a very challenging circuit for the tires, with a winding final section. »
Sebastian Vettel:
–Essais Libres 1: 1er en 1:23:591
Twenty-two laps course,
A stint on hard tires, five stints on soft tires (including three on “scrubbed” soft tires)
–Essais Libres 2: 4e en 1:25:017
Thirty-five rounds course
Six stints on medium tires (including five on “scrubbed” medium tires),
Same sentiment for the driver with number five, who actually clocked the fourth fastest time in FP2: « My first impression of my pace here is good. This afternoon was a bit trickier: it wasn’t as good as this morning. We still have improvements to make on our car. »
That said, the four-time world champion couldn’t help but admit that his team is very strong in Barcelona: « Even if today wasn’t perfect, we are well-positioned, I think we will be in good shape tomorrow. »
So, can there be a close fight with the Mercedes?
“We have quite a few aces up our sleeve. We will certainly present a challenge for them,” referring to the German team without naming them. In any case, despite a tough start to the season marked by two retirements, an engine failure in Sakhir, and that infamous first-lap crash in Sochi, “it’s never too late to start winning. Everyone in the team knows which direction we must go. We want to win, we are not here to finish second.”
The tone is set for the Qualifications: more than ever, Scuderia Ferrari will want to make a big impact tomorrow afternoon on the Montmelo track!