Ferrari’s rivals should tremble at the “lightening” speed shown by the Italian team’s 2008 car as a long winter test kicked off in Bahrain on Monday, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Italian sports daily reveals that, on two runs, reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen – circulating as per this season’s rules without driver aids – went quicker than teammate Felipe Massa’s pole position time set at the same Sakhir circuit last April.
Finn Raikkonen’s rapid lap in Bahrain was also a full 1.3 seconds faster than the only non-Ferrari competitor at the circuit for the six days of testing, Toyota, whose fastest TF108 model was driven by German racer Timo Glock.
Ferrari test driver Luca Badoer, testing alongside Raikkonen on Monday in a sister F2008, was delighted with the outcome of the initial day’s running on the sandy track.
“Kimi did a great time, and it is only the first of six days here. (On Monday) we only began to look at the possible developments for this track and similar ones,” the Italian said.
