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Raikkonen sends out strong message to series leader

FORMULA ONE/EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX:  KIMI RAIKKONEN yesterday sent a strong message to Lewis Hamilton that he will not be giving…

ALAN HENRY in Valencia
Sat Aug 23 2008 - 01:00

FORMULA ONE/EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX: KIMI RAIKKONEN yesterday sent a strong message to Lewis Hamilton that he will not be giving up his world championship crown without a fight by setting the fastest time in the second free practice session for tomorrow's inaugural European Grand Prix here, the Finn lapping his Ferrari just 0.020 quicker than Spain's Fernando Alonso in his Renault.

Alonso was also fined €10,000 and received a reprimand for crossing the white line at the pit lane entry.

Hamilton, who goes into the 12th round of the title chase five points ahead of his closest rival, finished the day fifth-fastest behind Jenson Button's Honda and Felipe Massa's Ferrari. But he was satisfied with his first-time efforts on the new circuit.

"It was slippery, yeah, but I didn't feel the wind had any effect on the car," he said. "It was slippery at the beginning, but the track became cleaner as the day went on. The whole track is pretty much fine.

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"The two long straights give you time to cool your tyres, then there are slower corners which demand you get your braking right. It is a tricky circuit.

"Today I've taken things step by step, trying to improve the car's balance. All the time I'm out there I learn new things about the track. It's just a matter of finding all the pieces and putting the puzzle together."

Button was extremely encouraged by the Honda's continued improving form. "We were struggling with very low grip this morning and I'm sure that was the same for everyone out there," said the Briton, who may yet be partnered in the team by Alonso next season prior to the Spaniard moving to Ferrari in 2010.

"The track (was) very dusty, and if you go off line your tyres are quickly covered in dirt, which makes it difficult to be consistent. We made a lot of changes to the car this afternoon which have proved positive and provided a great deal of useful information to study this evening.

"It was nice to do a quick lap at the end and hopefully we can further improve the car overnight and be reasonably competitive for qualifying tomorrow."