Raikkonen goes back to the roots he never had

Kimi struggles to contain his excitement after his GP3 test

While most F1 drivers have been enjoying some time off in recent weeks the man you might least expect to head back to work early did just that today.

Kimi Raikkonen took part in a development test on behalf of the GP3 series in Barcelona, thanks to his relationship with the Koiranen GP team.

Raikkonen ran 58 laps, focussing on tyres and what the GP3 organisation calls finding “technical solutions to offer more overtaking possibilities to the drivers for the 2014 races.”

Back in 2001 Raikkonen made the jump straight from Formula Renault to Sauber, skipping the F3, World Series and F3000 categories that were the normal route at the time.

“I wanted to test the GP3/13 because my friend Afa Heikkinen has a team in this Series,” said Kimi. “And I have been closely following their progress and results since the beginning of the season. I was curious to see how the car handled and it was actually fun to drive. There were a few issues regarding its behaviour, but we managed to solve most of them. The GP3/13 is a very good tool for young drivers, especially when you have to learn about tyre management like we have in F1.”

GP3 technical boss Didier Perrin added: “We are extremely pleased to have had the opportunity to work with Kimi today. His experience and feedback were invaluable and they gave us a better understanding of what needs to be done in order to make our car a better tool in overtaking opportunities for next season. He has confirmed all our hypothesis, and together we could start working on two development directions for the end of season testing.”