Raikkonen: The first feelings are very, very positive

The veteran Finn recovered well to complete his day in the cockpit of C38 with 114 laps under his belt and the fifth fastest time of the day.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Raikkonen summed up his day, “Obviously we started the day off with a spin... but apart from that, everything ran smoothly. The first feelings are very, very positive. I think the guys have done a very good job over the winter. I think we have a car we can work with. Obviously, it's early days but so far it's going good.”

Asked how he had found his first high-speed laps in the C38, Raikkonen responded: “It's a very positive feeling. Straight out, I'm not really doing an awful lot with the car. I tried a few things here and there but was very happy actually."

"Like I said, the guys did a very good job over the winter and we have a package that we can work with and we can get better. Everything feels normal... Lap times come easily and I'm very happy.”

Raikkonen made an unexpected move to Sauber (now Ala Romeo) at the end of last season when it was clear his days at Ferrari were over, he had to make way for 21-year-old Charles Leclerc.

Asked for his season targets in the aftermath of a positive first day, “I don't think there's a certain place I'm aiming. s long as we do the maximum that we all can, then I have no doubt that the results will come. What the end result will be is impossible to say."

"The aim is to do the maximum from ourselves and seeing how well they've been working on the car and what they have produced over the winter, it seems to match well what we have expected, so no doubt that we can improve," added Raikkonen who makes way for rookie teammate Antonio Giovinazzi who will do duty on day two.