Ferrari: Räikkönen and Vettel dominate in Sochi

It had been a little while since Kimi Räikkönen found himself at the top of a timing sheet. And this first place in FP1 this morning comes at just the right time for the Finn, who has been criticized within his own team for a rather anonymous start to the season.

« It was a pretty nice Friday. Things went well and we didn’t have any problems. » responded the 2007 world champion laconically after the two sessions, before adding: « I’m happy with the car. I have a good feeling with it and things are always nicer when it goes this way. But it’s only Friday and we don’t really have an idea of what others have done, but it starts off pretty well and that’s good. »

Sebastian Vettel was also satisfied with the behavior of his car, even if he seemed a bit more behind during FP1: « I think we have improved. So we can be reasonably satisfied but not entirely. I am sure we can do more. »

The quadruple German world champion even shares the difficulties he has encountered in mastering the track, which has never really worked in his favor since 2014, with only one podium to his credit: « It’s a circuit where you need to feel confident. There are a lot of corners that look similar on paper, which seem the same in the car, but it’s quite difficult to make everything work correctly. I would have liked them to plant more trees on the edge of the track for reference points! But it’s still tricky, and that’s why you need the right rhythm. I struggled a bit this morning, but we finally figured out what we needed. »

But if one had to choose a favorite, Vettel would bet on one of the Mercedes drivers: « We are always fighting for the pole, that’s for sure, but on paper, it’s a circuit that is rather favorable to the Mercedes. »