Kimi's lap of Imola
Next week, the F1 circus will move to Europe for the first race of the European season at Imola. We get into the MP4-21 with Kimi Raikkonen to explore the circuit at Imola that is the venue of the San Marino Grand Prix.
Kimi Raikkonen "Accelerating hard along the short pit straight at Imola, you reach 290km/h in sixth gear as you wind through the scenic Italian countryside. You brake hard for the left-right-left Tamburello chicane, which is negotiated at 131km/h in second gear through the left-hand entry. You lift slightly for the middle of the chicane, a right hander, and as you exit the final left flick, you push hard and flat on the throttle, achieving a speed of 289km/h in sixth gear along the straight that leads to Villeneuve.
The left-right chicane is taken at 233km/h in fifth gear. A short burst of power takes you down to the tight left hairpin of Tosa, which is negotiated at 95km/h in second. On the exit you climb up the hill towards the flowing Piratella.
Powering up through the gears, you reach 281km/h in fifth gear along the straight before hitting the brakes for the 181km/h bumpy left-hander. The track then drops downhill, this sees you reach some 251km/h in sixth gear before dabbing the brakes for the slight left hand flick before braking hard for the bumpy right of Acque Minerali, which is taken in second gear at 117km/h.
Accelerating out of the Acque Minerali, your speed increases to 285km/h in fifth gear on the straight that leads you to the Variante Alta. This chicane is negotiated at a minimum speed of 135km/h in second gear and sees the cars riding the curbs quite hard.
This leads you onto another straight, which sees your speed increase to 309km/h in sixth gear. Braking for Rivazza is quite difficult and hard for the brakes as the track drops downhill, the double left swings you round 180 degrees and is taken at 101km/h in second. On the exit you accelerate hard along the Variante Bassa straight, which sees you reach 285km/h in sixth before braking hard for the right-left flick of Traguardo. Taken in second gear at 96km/h, the final chicane flicks you back onto the start-finish straight to begin another lap."
