(Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team)
The Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team's Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg once again lead the way in this afternoon's second practice as Hamilton set the fastest time of 1m42.113 to end the session just 0.083s ahead of team mate and championship rival Nico Rosberg. Speaking following the session, Lewis Hamilton stated:
'It’s been a good Friday. We’ve run the same programme as we run every race weekend but this time we had the whole of both sessions to work with the tyres, look at long runs, analyse setup and the countless other things you need to assess in practice which was great. We made good steps forward with the setup but, as always, there is still more time to be found.
We’ll keep chipping away at it and look to improve in every area possible but the car feels great – the best I’ve ever driven here without doubt. The team have done an amazing job.
Coming into the weekend I was already excited and couldn’t wait to get out on track. When you know you have a package as competitive as ours it’s like being a kid at Christmas. I don’t feel any particular pressure this weekend. I’ll just drive the way I always drive and what will be, will be. So far it’s all moving in the right direction so I just have to keep working away at it.'
Nico Rosberg stated:
'It’s been a good day today but I really haven’t got my best lap together yet, so there is still a lot of work to do over the rest of the weekend. In general the car felt great out there today. I just need to fine-tune it so that the set-up is exactly to my liking, then go for it and get the job done. This track really is amazing. It’s always a highlight when darkness falls and the lights come up – just spectacular! It will be a great show here, so I hope the fans at the circuit and everyone watching at home enjoy it.'
Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team's Executive Director (Business) Toto Wolff stated:
'That was a positive Friday and we are pleased to have started off this title-deciding weekend with both cars running smoothly throughout. We completed our programme with plenty of laps on the board and our long runs shaping up as expected. Without doubt the tension and pressure are on – which is normal when the Championship comes down to the final Grand Prix of the season – but actually it doesn’t feel any greater than at any other race. There is a good spirit in the garage and we are all looking forward to seeing what the rest of the weekend holds.'
Paddy Lowe, Mercedes Executive Director (Technical) stated:
'The final and most important Friday of this incredible season and, thankfully, all went to plan! We managed to complete our homework in the first and second sessions on the different tyres with no issues to report and both drivers were happy with the performance of the car. Our pace looks strong and we’ve got good data from the tyres that will help us plan for Sunday. We will be working hard overnight to optimise both qualifying and race setup with the objective of locking out the front-row and giving a clear competition between Lewis and Nico on Sunday. There are a few other cars that are quicker than they seem, so we are not taking anything for granted.'
'It’s been a good Friday. We’ve run the same programme as we run every race weekend but this time we had the whole of both sessions to work with the tyres, look at long runs, analyse setup and the countless other things you need to assess in practice which was great. We made good steps forward with the setup but, as always, there is still more time to be found.
We’ll keep chipping away at it and look to improve in every area possible but the car feels great – the best I’ve ever driven here without doubt. The team have done an amazing job.
Coming into the weekend I was already excited and couldn’t wait to get out on track. When you know you have a package as competitive as ours it’s like being a kid at Christmas. I don’t feel any particular pressure this weekend. I’ll just drive the way I always drive and what will be, will be. So far it’s all moving in the right direction so I just have to keep working away at it.'
Nico Rosberg stated:
'It’s been a good day today but I really haven’t got my best lap together yet, so there is still a lot of work to do over the rest of the weekend. In general the car felt great out there today. I just need to fine-tune it so that the set-up is exactly to my liking, then go for it and get the job done. This track really is amazing. It’s always a highlight when darkness falls and the lights come up – just spectacular! It will be a great show here, so I hope the fans at the circuit and everyone watching at home enjoy it.'
Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team's Executive Director (Business) Toto Wolff stated:
'That was a positive Friday and we are pleased to have started off this title-deciding weekend with both cars running smoothly throughout. We completed our programme with plenty of laps on the board and our long runs shaping up as expected. Without doubt the tension and pressure are on – which is normal when the Championship comes down to the final Grand Prix of the season – but actually it doesn’t feel any greater than at any other race. There is a good spirit in the garage and we are all looking forward to seeing what the rest of the weekend holds.'
Paddy Lowe, Mercedes Executive Director (Technical) stated:
'The final and most important Friday of this incredible season and, thankfully, all went to plan! We managed to complete our homework in the first and second sessions on the different tyres with no issues to report and both drivers were happy with the performance of the car. Our pace looks strong and we’ve got good data from the tyres that will help us plan for Sunday. We will be working hard overnight to optimise both qualifying and race setup with the objective of locking out the front-row and giving a clear competition between Lewis and Nico on Sunday. There are a few other cars that are quicker than they seem, so we are not taking anything for granted.'
It was a fantastic second session for McLaren Mercedes Kevin Magnussen as the Dane ended the session third place just 0.782s behind Lewis Hamilton while reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel was fourth in his Infiniti Red Bull Racing RB10. Speaking following his final Friday session for Red Bull Vettel stated:
'I think we have improved the car today, but we can still improve more. The super soft tyre seems pretty good for one lap, but I don’t think they lasted very long, for everyone, and then we focused mainly on the harder compound. McLaren has made a step forward the last couple of races and the nature of the track here maybe suits them a bit better than other tracks, but it’s Friday so I guess we will find out tomorrow.
I don’t really want to interfere with Mercedes in the race. It would be nice to race them and beat them, but I think realistically they are a bit far away. I want to get everything out of myself and the car and make sure I finish fourth in the Championship.'
'I think we have improved the car today, but we can still improve more. The super soft tyre seems pretty good for one lap, but I don’t think they lasted very long, for everyone, and then we focused mainly on the harder compound. McLaren has made a step forward the last couple of races and the nature of the track here maybe suits them a bit better than other tracks, but it’s Friday so I guess we will find out tomorrow.
I don’t really want to interfere with Mercedes in the race. It would be nice to race them and beat them, but I think realistically they are a bit far away. I want to get everything out of myself and the car and make sure I finish fourth in the Championship.'
Following a difficult session this morning the Williams Martini Racing Team had a better afternoon session as Valtteri Bottas ended the day in fifth place in his FW36, 0.957s behind Hamilton.
Daniel Ricciardo ended the second session in 6th place in the second Red Bull RB10. The Australian goes into this weekend's race knowing that he has secured third place in the championship regardless of what happens in the race. Speaking about Friday's running Daniel Ricciardo stated:
'Nice and warm today! We got all the laps in, which was important and we got to run both compounds on the long runs, so I think we achieved all we could in terms of a run plan. Mercedes are … yeah I won’t even mention them! But anyway, they’re fighting for the title so we’ll let them go, but as for the rest it looks pretty tight as always for third place. We’ll definitely try and do something (with strategy).
Anything can happen and it’s the final race, so hopefully the strategy can work to our advantage someway. Sebastian looked competitive today and hopefully we’re fighting for that spot on the podium, it would be nice to have a battle with him and end the season like that, it could be a good farewell for him and the team.'
'Nice and warm today! We got all the laps in, which was important and we got to run both compounds on the long runs, so I think we achieved all we could in terms of a run plan. Mercedes are … yeah I won’t even mention them! But anyway, they’re fighting for the title so we’ll let them go, but as for the rest it looks pretty tight as always for third place. We’ll definitely try and do something (with strategy).
Anything can happen and it’s the final race, so hopefully the strategy can work to our advantage someway. Sebastian looked competitive today and hopefully we’re fighting for that spot on the podium, it would be nice to have a battle with him and end the season like that, it could be a good farewell for him and the team.'
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was 7th place just ahead of McLaren's Jenson Button who has had a disappointing day as he suffered a suspension problem in the opening session this morning and then this afternoon he suffered a hydraulic issue with MP4-29. The 2009 world champion ended the day just ahead of Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat.
Williams Martini Racing Team's Felipe Massa rounded out the top ten having suffered a difficult session this morning.
Outside the top ten was the Sahara Force India Formula One team's Sergio Perez in eleventh place for the Silverstone based outfit. Speaking following the session, the Mexican stated:
'It was a busy day, but I think we did a good job of getting the information we needed and understanding the changing temperatures throughout the day. Tyres will clearly play a big part with quite high degradation over the long runs and that will be the main challenge on Sunday.
So it’s important to analyse the tyre performance and see where we can improve. We also need to focus on our single lap pace with the target of Q3 tomorrow, but it’s looking very competitive to try and get in the top ten.'
'It was a busy day, but I think we did a good job of getting the information we needed and understanding the changing temperatures throughout the day. Tyres will clearly play a big part with quite high degradation over the long runs and that will be the main challenge on Sunday.
So it’s important to analyse the tyre performance and see where we can improve. We also need to focus on our single lap pace with the target of Q3 tomorrow, but it’s looking very competitive to try and get in the top ten.'
Pastor Maldonado was in 12th place for the Lotus F1 Team. The Venezuelan finished the session just ahead of Nico Hulkenberg in the second Sahara Force India. Speaking following the session Maldonado stated:
'It was a good day with a lot of work completed. I’m happy with the way my car feels and there is good potential for the car tomorrow and in the race too. We still can find some more improvements but for sure I am looking forward to making some improvements in FP3 then pushing to the maximum in qualifying.'
While Sahara Force India's Nico Hulkenberg stated:
'The first session went well, but my car felt quite different this evening and not so easy to drive. It’s something we need to analyse and understand because it certainly had an impact on performance and lap time. Despite these issues I was still able to get a feeling for the tyres, which have been more of a challenge than we expected. It was very cool this evening at the end of FP2 and that was a big factor on tyre performance.'
The team's COO Otmar Szfnauer stated:
'We made a good start to our Abu Dhabi programme with no significant issues to report and encouraging performance on the track. Both drivers are generally happy, although we need to find a better direction for Nico tonight to make sure he is comfortable before qualifying.
The afternoon session was the most relevant, being run in temperatures more representative of qualifying and the race, and we collected all the relevant tyre information and long run data. Our long run performance needs some work, but the soft tyre certainly appears to be the more consistent of the compounds.
Tonight we need to make sure the car is optimised for qualifying because it’s a circuit that’s always proved difficult for overtaking and grid position will be vital for a successful result come Sunday.'
'It was a good day with a lot of work completed. I’m happy with the way my car feels and there is good potential for the car tomorrow and in the race too. We still can find some more improvements but for sure I am looking forward to making some improvements in FP3 then pushing to the maximum in qualifying.'
While Sahara Force India's Nico Hulkenberg stated:
'The first session went well, but my car felt quite different this evening and not so easy to drive. It’s something we need to analyse and understand because it certainly had an impact on performance and lap time. Despite these issues I was still able to get a feeling for the tyres, which have been more of a challenge than we expected. It was very cool this evening at the end of FP2 and that was a big factor on tyre performance.'
The team's COO Otmar Szfnauer stated:
'We made a good start to our Abu Dhabi programme with no significant issues to report and encouraging performance on the track. Both drivers are generally happy, although we need to find a better direction for Nico tonight to make sure he is comfortable before qualifying.
The afternoon session was the most relevant, being run in temperatures more representative of qualifying and the race, and we collected all the relevant tyre information and long run data. Our long run performance needs some work, but the soft tyre certainly appears to be the more consistent of the compounds.
Tonight we need to make sure the car is optimised for qualifying because it’s a circuit that’s always proved difficult for overtaking and grid position will be vital for a successful result come Sunday.'
Jean Eric Vergne was 14th fastest for the Toro Rosso team finishing the session just ahead of the Sauber F1 Team duo of Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil who head into the weekend's race hoping to secure the Swiss based outfit's first points of the season following and extremely difficult season for the team.
Speaking following Friday's action Esteban Gutierrez stated:
'It was a positive day. Finally we were able to do both practice sessions. I think it was quite productive, although we do not have the pace we would like to have. It looks pretty tough for the long runs. We need to find the best way to improve our lap times.'
Adrian Sutil stated:
'Unfortunately, I missed the first early afternoon free practice session. At the beginning of FP2 we had to replace the front brake disks. These are obviously not ideal preparations. That’s the way it is at the moment, and we have to make the best out of it. We have a lot of work ahead of us and, furthermore, I did not have an optimal feeling in the car.'
Adderly Fong ran in an official Free Practice session for thee first time this morning and commented on his outing for the team saying:
'It was a good session. This car is totally different to the C31 I had driven in Valencia. As it was quite hot today the track temperatures were high, so it was very tricky to get the tyres to work.
I think for my first FP1 I was pushing too much. I was trying to get onto the power as quickly as possible, but that driving style cost me time, especially in most of the slow corners such as in sector three.
Then I had a cool down and was actually quicker on that lap on some of the corner exits. But I guess this is what FP1 is for, for learning a new car and also the operation procedures of the team.
It was a bit overwhelming at the beginning with all the buttons I had to press. But having done the first run, you start to cool down. It was very nice to see drivers I normally watch on TV right in front of me. It is a privilege to be here, and it was a fantastic experience for me.'
The Sauber F1 Team's Head of Track Engineering Giampaolo Dall'Ara stated:
'As expected today, the second session was a lot more significant than the first one, due to the temperature difference which we always have here. In the first session we tried to get the balance of the car in a certain window, particularly with Esteban. Adderly did a solid job in FP1, but had to focus mainly on becoming familiar with car and the procedures. In the second session we concentrated mainly on race preparation with temperatures we can expect in qualifying and the race. Overall the day was okay. We have to work on a number of things tonight in order to make further progress.'
Speaking following Friday's action Esteban Gutierrez stated:
'It was a positive day. Finally we were able to do both practice sessions. I think it was quite productive, although we do not have the pace we would like to have. It looks pretty tough for the long runs. We need to find the best way to improve our lap times.'
Adrian Sutil stated:
'Unfortunately, I missed the first early afternoon free practice session. At the beginning of FP2 we had to replace the front brake disks. These are obviously not ideal preparations. That’s the way it is at the moment, and we have to make the best out of it. We have a lot of work ahead of us and, furthermore, I did not have an optimal feeling in the car.'
Adderly Fong ran in an official Free Practice session for thee first time this morning and commented on his outing for the team saying:
'It was a good session. This car is totally different to the C31 I had driven in Valencia. As it was quite hot today the track temperatures were high, so it was very tricky to get the tyres to work.
I think for my first FP1 I was pushing too much. I was trying to get onto the power as quickly as possible, but that driving style cost me time, especially in most of the slow corners such as in sector three.
Then I had a cool down and was actually quicker on that lap on some of the corner exits. But I guess this is what FP1 is for, for learning a new car and also the operation procedures of the team.
It was a bit overwhelming at the beginning with all the buttons I had to press. But having done the first run, you start to cool down. It was very nice to see drivers I normally watch on TV right in front of me. It is a privilege to be here, and it was a fantastic experience for me.'
The Sauber F1 Team's Head of Track Engineering Giampaolo Dall'Ara stated:
'As expected today, the second session was a lot more significant than the first one, due to the temperature difference which we always have here. In the first session we tried to get the balance of the car in a certain window, particularly with Esteban. Adderly did a solid job in FP1, but had to focus mainly on becoming familiar with car and the procedures. In the second session we concentrated mainly on race preparation with temperatures we can expect in qualifying and the race. Overall the day was okay. We have to work on a number of things tonight in order to make further progress.'
The Lotus F1 Team's Romain Grosjean was 17th fastest as he prepares for a tough weekend. Speaking following the session the Frenchman stated:
'We still have some work to do to get the E22 where we want it to be. I did miss some track time in FP1, and you notice this a little, even if the temperature conditions are different from what we see when it matters this weekend. There’s still pace to be found in the car and I’m sure we’ll unlock more speed for qualifying tomorrow.'
Speaking following his first run in an official Practice session the Lotus F1 Team's Esteban Ocon stated:
'It felt great to be out on track today. I didn’t push too hard too soon, but everything felt good. Certainly the car is pretty different to drive from the previous generation F1 cars I’ve driven before, it’s definitely more complicated in terms of all the settings and the driving style required is a change too. I’m quite happy with the pace show, but I was driving with margin so there’s more speed to come in next week’s test.'
The Entone outfit's Trackside Operations Director Alan Permane stated:
'It was a solid Friday for us with all of our assessment programmes completed. All three drivers delivered what we wanted so we have plenty of information to assess ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying session. We ran fewer laps in the first session as the conditions are far less representative of what we’ll see in qualifying and the race. Esteban did a thoroughly respectable job in the car today, giving us everything we wanted from him. He’s definitely a great talent for the future.'
'We still have some work to do to get the E22 where we want it to be. I did miss some track time in FP1, and you notice this a little, even if the temperature conditions are different from what we see when it matters this weekend. There’s still pace to be found in the car and I’m sure we’ll unlock more speed for qualifying tomorrow.'
Speaking following his first run in an official Practice session the Lotus F1 Team's Esteban Ocon stated:
'It felt great to be out on track today. I didn’t push too hard too soon, but everything felt good. Certainly the car is pretty different to drive from the previous generation F1 cars I’ve driven before, it’s definitely more complicated in terms of all the settings and the driving style required is a change too. I’m quite happy with the pace show, but I was driving with margin so there’s more speed to come in next week’s test.'
The Entone outfit's Trackside Operations Director Alan Permane stated:
'It was a solid Friday for us with all of our assessment programmes completed. All three drivers delivered what we wanted so we have plenty of information to assess ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying session. We ran fewer laps in the first session as the conditions are far less representative of what we’ll see in qualifying and the race. Esteban did a thoroughly respectable job in the car today, giving us everything we wanted from him. He’s definitely a great talent for the future.'
The Caterham F1 Team's Kamui Kobayashi and Will Stevens finished the session in 18th and 19th place respectively as the Leafield based outfit ran on track for the first time since the the Russian Grand Prix.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, taking part in his final race for the Italian team failed to set a time as his F14-T came to a halt out on track as a result of a suspected electrical fault.
Free Practice 3 gets underway at 10AM tomorrow morning and is LIVE on both Sky Sports F1 HD and BBC 2.
© Ben Johnston 2014
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