Sunday: Alonso and Räikkönen in the points but unsatisfied for Ferrari
If certain goals have been achieved in terms of reliability, the final ranking of the two Ferrari drivers in the top 8 does not satisfy the team. Fernando Alonso was unable to close the gap on his rivals while his teammate, Kimi Räikkönen, suffered from graining after climbing five positions.
Fernando Alonso (No. 14) – 4th (after the disqualification of Ricciardo)
Tough start for Fernando Alonso, victim of problems with the new electric engine. After about ten laps, the Spaniard managed to improve his pace, without moving up in the pack: « When I tried to pass Hülkenberg after the pit stop, my pace was significantly better, but it was impossible for me to overtake him. Moreover, being 35 seconds behind the leader is far too big of a gap, and we will work on closing it. The laps I completed behind Nico can provide us with very useful information ».
A mixed first Grand Prix but Alonso doesn’t see only negatives: « Sure, I would have liked to start the season with a podium, but having both cars finish is a good result that can give us confidence, especially in terms of reliability. »
Kimi Räikkönen (No. 7) – 7th (after Ricciardo’s disqualification)
After 2 years with Lotus, Kimi Räikkönen is back with Ferrari with a challenging first race but for the Finn, it is still too early to pass a definitive judgment: Even if at the moment we do not seem to be in great shape, we managed to finish the race and score valuable points.
The driver, dissatisfied with his result, explains one of the reasons why he couldn’t climb higher on the grid: « The speed was good, but I was suffering from graining on the front tires, I had very little grip and a lot of understeer. When it was time for me to make my first stop, we had to do a double stop, which cost me a position. »
