Promising debut for Lotus in Hungary

Kimi Räikkönen achieved promising performances, failing just 185 thousandths behind Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) at the end of the second free practice session of the Hungarian GP. The Finn feels he is progressing race after race and hopes to make this impression come true after his fourth podium finish last weekend at Hockenheim. “It was a normal Friday for me. We did the usual things to try to make the car as fast as possible. Second place was a good thing. We managed to improve the settings of my car in the last few races and I am satisfied with it. We only make small improvements but we do it constantly. It's only Friday but I hope to have another good day tomorrow. »

His teammate Romain Grosjean appeared further behind since he only achieved the ninth fastest time, even if the Frenchman lost time on the track this afternoon after damaging his car. “It wasn’t the best day but it wasn’t the worst either”, explains the reigning GP2 Series champion. “The car didn't behave the way I wanted it to, a bit like at Hockenheim, which made things a little difficult. I made a mistake exiting turn 7 which caused me to hit the wall, and I apologize to the team for that. On the positive side, we now understand a few things we need to improve in the set-up and I hope that will help me make a difference tomorrow. I would like to have the confidence to push a little more and thus demonstrate the true potential of the car. »