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gp2003.com
In testing at Jerez and Valencia the MP4/19 went really well, but at Barcelona we started having problems," Raikkonen told the Gazetta Dello Sport. "There haven't been many positive days of testing, so that's why I'm still not sure how good our new car really is. For the most part our problems have been with set-up. For most of them we already have a solution, we just need to sort it all out in the remaining test sessions.
Our troubles are mostly in connection with the integration of the new car with the new engine."
"I think that the reliability of the new Mercedes engines won't be a problem at all, especially when the new evolution comes, things will be fine, that's what I hope anyway, because the Championship will be starting shortly and at Barcelona we had trouble keeping up with Williams. It's a long season, 18 races, but I hope we'll have a good start in Australia."
The possibility also exists that McLaren didn’t want to show their true colours in front of their rivals for the 2004 crown and were deliberately sandbagging in order to give the indication that all was not well.