24/09/2021
NEWS STORY
Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN completed its first day of on-track action in Sochi, with Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi both setting competitive times in the two practice sessions. Raikkonen made his return to the track following two events on the sidelines, while Giovinazzi's afternoon session was cut short by contact with the wall halfway through FP2.
The team will now prepare for tomorrow's qualifying session, with the threat of rain looming over Sochi.
Kimi Raikkonen: "It was an ok day to get back to the car. It didn't feel much different than any other times, and the job we did wasn't too bad. Things ran smoothly, the conditions were ok so we were able to do our work. First impressions are ok but when it really matters is tomorrow and Sunday. The feeling with the car is ok, but we'll need to see what happens in qualifying to see where we stack up against the others."
Antonio Giovinazzi: "The sessions were going pretty well until the incident. FP1 wasn't too bad and FP2 was an improvement, overall a good start of the weekend. The wind was rather strong, I got a bit of understeer outside the corner, touched the astroturf on the exit and lost the rear. Tomorrow is another day, we need to see what the weather is going to be like and continue our work."