Saturday: Alonso still ahead of a confident Räikkönen at Ferrari
The two Ferrari drivers will start side by side tomorrow for a first on the Sochi circuit. If the result is not what was hoped for on the Scuderia's side, Kimi Räikkönen highlights the efforts made since the beginning of the weekend and remains confident for the race.
Fernando Alonso (#14) – 8th and 8th [7th on the grid]
The Spanish driver had to face a more difficult qualifying than in the last two race weekends since he wasn’t able to fight with the leading pack. The first corner tomorrow will be decisive: « So far, here, we haven’t been competitive, even if the car seems fine and we have changed almost nothing in terms of settings. We cannot isolate a particular weak point because we are losing in all sectors. The truth is simply that the cars ahead of us were faster. Here, the grip seems to improve with each lap, and in addition to that, the reduction of pit lane speed to 60 km/h pushes us towards a one-stop strategy. Even if the safety car could mix things up a bit, I think that tomorrow, the start and the first corner could define the outcome of the race. »
Kimi Räikkönen (No. 7) – 7th and 9th [8th on the grid]
Despite some difficulties, particularly in the last sector and a 9th place on the grid, Kimi Räikkönen remains confident for tomorrow’s race. He hopes to be able to climb up the grid quickly: « After a difficult Friday, things were better today, the car improved significantly thanks to a series of changes we worked on, and we had good pace. Of course, we can’t claim to have finished where we would have liked, but compared to the start of the weekend, we made a step forward, and that’s what makes me confident for the race. »
