Antonio Giovinazzi claimed P14 in qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Italian driver performed strongly at Yas Marina, clinching the intra-team qualifying battle 8-7 in the process. Kimi Räikkönen was 16th, the first of the drivers to miss the cut in Q1. They will line up in P14 and P15 in tomorrow’s race.
Kimi Räikkönen (car number 7):
Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN C39 (Chassis 05/Ferrari)
3rd practice: 17th / 1:38.269 (16 laps) / Q1: 16th / 1:37.555 (6 laps)
“The car didn’t feel too bad, but my final lap in Q1 wasn’t great. The first part was ok, but I hit some kerbs in the last sector and ruined my time. It is what it is and we will need to do a good job in the race. We struggled a bit in FP3 earlier, but I am confident our race pace will be ok come tomorrow.”
Antonio Giovinazzi (car number 99):
Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN C39 (Chassis 04/Ferrari)
3rd practice: 16th / 1:37.900 (16 laps) / Q1: 1:37.075 (6 laps) / Q2: 14th / 1:38.248 (6 laps)
“I am happy with another Q2, especially as I think my final lap in Q1 was pretty good. It’s a pity to have my fastest lap in the second segment deleted, as I was pushing a lot and went a bit wide, but in the end it wouldn’t have been enough to make it to Q3, so it would not have made any difference. To have another car in Q2 is good motivation for the team. We have been making it into the top 15 more often in the final part of the season, which is a sign we have been improving the car lately: now let’s see what we can achieve tomorrow. Our target is to have a good first lap and be in the fight for the points.”
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