Friday: Ferrari fights with the means at hand

The results of Friday’s practice sessions in Abu Dhabi at the Yas Marina circuit will not win over Ferrari fans after Kimi Räikkönen and Giancarlo Fisichella could do no better than tenth position on this brand new track.

Having won only one race in Belgium this year, Ferrari hopes to match the final position in the constructor standings of its worst season since the beginning of the decade, that is third in 2005. However, with one point behind McLaren, improvements will be necessary during the last free practice session on Saturday morning.

Kimi Räikkönen – 15th and 10th:

The car is not bad to drive, but it is simply slow and lacks grip, as has often been the case this year. It’s not like there’s a specific reason why it’s not doing well, but mainly due to our decision to stop the development of the F60, so our performance level compared to others is decreasing race after race, given that many teams are still working on this year’s cars.

There are only a few corners where one can make a difference, near the start of a lap. Then, there are so many very harsh braking points and slow corners, where stability at entry and acceleration at exit are important factors. Starting from daylight to artificial light? After two races in Singapore, it doesn’t cause a problem. The pit exit? It is quite similar to that of Interlagos, except there is a wall instead of a guardrail.

Giancarlo Fisichella – 18th and 17th:

It will become a sort of second home Grand Prix for Ferrari, as above the bottom of the circuit, there will be the first theme park dedicated to the Maranello company. As for the track, I can say that the most beautiful part is the first section with its fast curves. I think there is some chance of overtaking on the long straights, while the pit exit is a bit dangerous, but there is nothing that can be done to change it.

In the second session, when the temperature dropped, the track became less slippery. In the first session, I had a bit of difficulty staying on track and experienced a lot of graining. We have nothing new on the car and we have to try and do our best to work on the setup.

Stefano Domenicali – Technical Director:

Our main competitors in the fight for third place in the constructors’ standings are going through a very positive phase, while we are making a virtue out of necessity, trying to make the most of what we have been able to work on. However, this does not mean that we won’t fight until the last lap, as we are not the type to give up so easily. Regarding the technical aspect of this first day of free practice, on behalf of the entire team, I would like to congratulate the Grand Prix organizers for the work they have done: Yas Marina is going to become, partly thanks to the Ferrari World Park of Abu Dhabi, the place to be for all race enthusiasts.