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Kimi
Raikkonen
and
Giancarlo
Fisichella
finished
the
final
race of
the 2009
F1 season
in
twelfth
and
sixteenth
places
respectively,
at the
end of a
very
difficult
weekend,
when
Ferrari
never
had a
really
competitive
car for
its
drivers.
A shame,
on what
was not
only the
last
race of
the
year,
but also
the last
appearance
of both
the Finn
and the
Italian
in the
cockpit
of a
Prancing
Horse F1
car.
The
final
round of
the 2009
F1 World
Championship
got
underway
around
45
minutes
before
sunset,
as Abu
Dhabi
staged
the
first
ever
day-to-night
race
under
floodlights,
at the new
facility
of Yas
Marina.
Kimi was
in
eleventh
place on
the grid
while
Giancarlo
was in
twentieth.
Hamilton
led from
pole,
followed
by
Vettel
and
Webber.
Kubica
passed
Trulli
for
sixth
and
Button
passed
Barrichello
for
fourth.
Kimi had
dropped
a place
to
twelfth,
passed
by
Kobayashi
while
Fisichella
on the
other
hand
moved up
to
sixteenth.
In the
early
stages,
Hamilton
could
never
quite
shake
off
Vettel,
while
Webber
had
dropped
to
around 4
seconds,
with the
rest of
the top
ten
being
Button,
Barrichello,
Kubica,
Trulli,
Heidfeld,
Rosberg
and
Buemi.
For the
two-stoppers,
the pit
stops
began on
lap 17
with
Barrichello
and
Kubica,
followed
by the
leader
and
Button
next
time
round,
the
Englishman
losing a
place to
Kobayashi.
Webber,
Trulli,
Rosberg
and
Buemi
pitted
on lap
19, with
Vettel
coming
in on
lap 20
and
getting
out
ahead of
Hamilton,
who
retired
one lap
later
with
brake
problems.
On lap
21, Kimi
was now
sixth
and he
stayed
there
until he
made his
only
stop on
lap 29,
which
dropped
him back
down the
order.
Giancarlo
pitted
one lap
earlier
but
unfortunately
had to
come
down pit
lane
again,
having
been
given a
drive
through
penalty.
Any
chance
Kimi had
of
getting
to a
points
position
had
pretty
much
ended
when the
two
Brawns
came out
of ahead
of him
after
they had
refuelled.
So the
season
ended
with a
fourth
place in
the
Constructors’
championship,
just a
single
point
behind
the
third
placed
team.
There
was not
much
overtaking,
so
positions
remained
virtually
unchanged
throughout
the
order,
resettling
to their
original
places
after
most of
the pit
stops,
in a
race
split
between
those
refuelling
once,
which
included
Kimi and
Giancarlo
and
those
pitting
twice,
who
inevitably
were the
faster
runners.
At the
chequered
flag,
Vettel
secured
his
fourth
win of
the
season,
with
Mark
Webber
making
it a one
two for
Red
Bull,
although
some
excitement
in the
closing
laps
came
from a
hard
charging
Jenson
Button,
the new
world
champion
doing
all he
could,
but
failing
to get
past the
Australian.
With
Rubens
Barrichello
finishing
fourth,
the two
teams
and four
drivers
who had
dominated
the
season
filled
the top
four
placings.
The rest
of the
points
went to
Nick
Heidfeld
in BMW’s
final
race,
followed
by Kamui
Kobayashi,
having a
strong
drive in
the
Toyota
in only
his
second
Grand
Prix,
with
Jarno
Trulli
seventh
for
Toyota
and
Sebastien
Buemi
eighth
for Toro
Rosso.
The new
season
is only
four and
a half
months
away and
all the
Scuderia’s
efforts
are now
focussed
on the
design
and
build of
the
successor
to the
F60,
which
did it’s
best,
but a
best
that was
not good
enough
to
challenge
for
titles
and
victories.
Stefano
Domenicali: “It’s
disappointing to see third
place in the Constructors’
Championship elude us by a
single point, but we have to
accept the verdict dished
out on track. We took a
strategic decision regarding
the development of the F60 a
few months ago and we knew
that, as time went by, the
road ahead would get ever
steeper. All the same, I
wish to congratulate the
entire team who, despite the
difficult situation,
continued to keep their
concentration up, getting on
with their work with
determination and tenacity.
Now we must continue to work
on the design of the new
car, because we have a very
simple aim: that of getting
back to being in the fight
for race wins. This was
Kimi’s last race with us and
again today he gave it his
all. We are very
disappointed that this year,
we did not give him a
competitive car and I thank
him for never having thrown
in the towel, in fact,
fighting even harder when
the situation was at its
trickiest. That thanks
extends to all our drivers:
to Felipe who went through a
dramatic moment in Budapest
and is recovering quickly to
be 100% for the start of
next season; to Luca, who
accepted the challenge to
put himself in the game in a
very difficult moment; to
Giancarlo who in order to
realise his dream of racing
for Ferrari, left a team
just as it was going through
its best part of the season.
Again today, he did his
utmost right to the final
kilometer. I am proud of our
drivers, as I am of everyone
who works in our team and I
am sure that every one of
them will know how to learn
the right lessons from this
season and will be even more
motivated to try and redeem
themselves immediately.”
Kimi
Raikkonen: “We knew we
did not have a car that was
competitive here. It was
definitely not a good
weekend, but I don’t think
any of us have anything to
reproach ourselves for. We
did the most we could with
the package we hard. At the
start, the track was a bit
slippery and that cost me a
place to Kobayashi, who was
very quick today. Then, when
the two Brawns were back
ahead of me, after their
first pit stop, our race was
definitely compromised and a
points finish became
impossible. It’s a shame to
end my time with Ferrari
with this result, but this
year we have never been in a
position to fight for the
win at every race, as I
would have wished.”
Giancarlo
Fisichella: “I am
disappointed that third
place got away from us like
this, but today our pace was
what it was, as can be seen
from my team-mate’s twelfth
place. I tried all I could,
as usual and I feel I drove
a good race. It was a shame
about the drive-through
which compromised my second
stint. I got a good start
and got past Grosjean, who
then got ahead of me again,
cutting the chicane, but
then in his turn, he got by,
taking back what I had
gained. I am sorry that I
wasn’t able to contribute to
the team in terms of points
and to have not really shown
my worth. Unfortunately, the
F60 is very difficult to
drive, especially in
qualifying and starting from
the back is always a big
penalty. Now the time has
come to think of the future:
I do not yet know if I will
get a race drive with a
team, but what is certain is
that I will be a Ferrari
driver and I am happy about
that.”
Chris
Dyer: “It was a very
disappointing day for us. We
knew after the qualifying
result that it would be very
tough and so it turned out.
This weekend we definitely
did not have a good enough
level of performance and so
we were unable to exploit
the help inadvertently given
us by our adversaries in the
fight for third place. It’s
an unpleasant way to end our
relationship with Kimi and
we are very disappointed
about it. It would have been
nice to have given him a
good result as a send off to
thank him for everything we
have done together over the
past three years. We wish
him all the best for the
future, whatever he decides
to do. He is an
extraordinary driver and we
will always have fond
memories of him.”
Race details:
K. Raikkonen: 12th 1:34.57.731
+ 54.317 55 laps chassis 279
G. Fisichella: 16th 1:34.06.897
+ 1 giro 54 laps chassis 280
Weather: air temperature 31/30 °C, track temperature
37/31°C, clear skies
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