Saturday: Räikkönen ahead of Alonso, but no satisfaction at Ferrari

Kimi Räikkönen (No. 7) – 14th and 6th

The Finn is ahead of Alonso, but is not satisfied with his starting position: « We cannot be happy with a 6th place, because naturally we want to fight for the top positions. But compared to the last race, we managed to solve some problems and improved the feeling I had with the car. Yesterday, the long stints went well, and overall, we did a good job, but there is always more to do, because we are not yet as fast as we want to be. »

« Tomorrow, the objective is to get a good start and then have a normal race. Obviously, we will also need to have a good strategy and keep an eye on mechanical management. It won’t be easy, but we are really going to fight, » he explains.

Fernando Alonso (No. 14) – 3rd and 7th

If the position on the grid is not satisfactory, the Spaniard was not really surprised: « It wasn’t a good qualifying session, but the result was more or less what we could expect. […] We weren’t fast enough, and now we have to think about tomorrow and try to climb a few positions to score as many points as possible. »

He gives a brief assessment of the improvements of the Scuderia: « Some of the improvements brought here are working, while others need further testing. There is progress compared to China, but we have some issues with the rear, even though most of the setup changes have been made. »

He congratulates his teammate and hopes the race will be fruitful and error-free: « Kimi was good and I hope both Ferraris can finish higher. Now, we just need to find the best strategy for tomorrow and try to get a good start. But, more than anything, we must not make any mistakes, because this race requires a high level of concentration. »