US GP: McLaren Friday practice notes

Team McLaren Mercedes drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya finished today's opening practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 10th and 15th with times of 1:13.554 and 1:13.825. Kimi and Juan Pablo completed nine and ten laps respectively. As usual on a Friday both drivers only did limited running in order to conserve engines and tyres.

Kimi Raikkonen:

"A good start to the weekend and we completed our planned programme. As always on a Friday we didn't do a lot of running to conserve our engine and tyres. There is still some way to go before our car is perfect, but that is what practice is all about. We will look at the data overnight and then continue our work tomorrow morning. The fans seem to be out in force today which is great for all of us here in Indianapolis."

Juan Pablo Montoya:

"It's nice to be back in the USA, and we all want to put on a good show, especially for the American fans. We completed our planned limited programme with no problems. I only did six timed laps, so it's hard to judge where we are compared to the rest of the field, but we will see tomorrow. The balance is not too bad, but the car seems to bounce a bit, and as a result we are losing traction. However we will look at the data and make the appropriate changes."

Ron Dennis:

"Everybody in the team is pleased to be back in the USA and is looking forward to the weekend. We completed our planned practice programme and experienced no problems."

Norbert Haug:

"We ran our planned programme today working on the race set-up and concentrating on Michelin tyre evaluation. Everything is looking OK. Watching the German team entering the semi finals of the football World Cup was great -- well done. The weekend started on a very positive note."

Chassis allocation
Kimi Raikkonen: MP4-21 03
Juan Pablo Montoya: MP4-21 05
T-car (Kimi): MP4-21 04

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