Saturday 22 November 2014

Fourth row of the grid for Ferrari in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi GP – Kimi Raikkonen
(Formula1.ferrari.com)

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso will line up together on the fourth row of the grid for the final race of the 2014 Formula One season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit with Raikkonen out-qualifying Alonso for only the third time this season as the Iceman will start the race from seventh place with Alonso in 8th. Speaking following the session the Finn stated:

'Even before we arrived in Yas Marina, we knew this track would not favour our car and all weekend, we never managed to find a set-up that worked well at every corner. Today, in qualifying, I felt more comfortable, but it wasn’t simple putting a good lap together.

I was always on the limit and on some parts of the track the car worked well and in others it tended to slide. Tomorrow it will be a difficult race, but as always, we will do our best to bring home as many points as possible for the team.'He 

Sunday's race is likely to be emotional one for Fernando Alonso as the Spaniard starts his final race for Ferrari following five season's with the Italian team. Speaking about today's running he stated:

'Today’s qualifying was very tricky on a weekend that, in general, has been more complicated than usual. Changing the engine after the final free practice session created a few extra problems and it took until Q2 for the car to perform consistently. 

Tomorrow, I expect an uphill struggle, partly because, over the past two days, we haven’t done any practice starts and I have never run with a full fuel load. But at the same time, I really want to give it my all and try and make up as much ground as possible. It will be a special day for me and even if it’s really about the title contenders, Rosberg and Hamilton, I would like my last race for Ferrari to feature some nice battles, for the team and for all the fans who have supported me over these past years.'

Following a tough season for the Italian team which has seen them fail to win a race and changes to the management side of things at Maranello, Ferrari will be aiming to end the season with a big haul of points. 

Ferrari are currently in 4th place in the championship 44 points behind the Williams Martini Racing Team.

© Ben Johnston 2014

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