Kimi Raikkonen topped the timesheet for Ferrari in Bahrain on Friday, as the sand storms that have caused havoc at this week’s test finally subsided and the three teams present were able to complete a full day’s running.
A combination of high winds and the desert location of Sakhir had sent clouds of sand swirling around the 3.4-mile track earlier in the week, limiting the teams’ running to just 90 minutes on Wednesday and forcing Thursday’s session to be cancelled altogether.
Although there was some early morning fog on Friday and the wind remained strong, testing went ahead without interruptions and track conditions progressively improved.
Raikkonen set the day’s best time of 1m33.350s in what was his first run in the Ferrari F60 in dry conditions, having previously tested it in the rain at Mugello.
The Finn completed 105 laps, his only minor setback being a hydraulic problem that struck shortly after 3pm and was swiftly fixed by the Ferrari mechanics.
Raikkonen just shaded Toyota’s Jarno Trulli, who posted a 1m33.429s as he focused on set-up work and tyre evaluation.
“This was a good day’s work,” said the Italian.
“In the morning the track conditions were still really poor with a lot of dust on the circuit.
“It was also very windy but the surface cleaned up during the day and got better and better.
“We managed to get through a lot of laps and the car balance felt pretty good.
“We are still playing around with set-up and other parameters to understand how to get the most out of the package.
“But it looks promising so far so let's hope we can carry on like this.”
BMW Sauber test driver Christian Klien managed a best time of 1m33.666s as he got his first taste of the team’s new F1.09 car.
“In the morning the track was still slightly wet as a result of being cleaned after yesterday’s sandstorm,” said the Austrian.
“Because of this it took some time to build up a proper grip level.
“That gave me the opportunity to get used to the BMW Sauber F1.09, which I drove for the very first time.
“In the afternoon the track conditions were much better and we were able to go ahead with our test programme as scheduled.”
The teams will resume testing in Bahrain for four more days next week, with Raikkonen, Trulli and Klien all scheduled to drive again on Monday.
Bahrain testing times (Friday 13 February)
1. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m33.350s
2. TRULLI Toyota 1m33.429s
3. KLIEN BMW 1m33.666s