Abu Dhabi GP: McLaren is in a strong position for 3rd place

This is one of the main attractions of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix! Who will win 3rd place in the Constructors’ Championship, McLaren or Ferrari? The Woking team is ideally placed as it just overtook the Scuderia for the first time by one point after the Brazilian race. Moreover, Ferrari has completely abandoned the development of its F60 for a few months, while McLaren has continued to work hard in the second half of the season.

This will be the last opportunity for both drivers, Heikki Kovalainen and Lewis Hamilton, to race with the KERS as the system will be abandoned next year. They hope it will have a positive effect on Yas Marina as night gently falls on Sunday evening!

Lewis Hamilton – Racing Driver

« We had a fantastic second half of the season, and it would be perfect to end the year with a victory. It would make us enter winter full of motivation and ready to go for the 2010 season. Everything indicates that the Abu Dhabi track suits us perfectly. There are many slow corners opening onto long straights, where KERS will be very advantageous. Since it’s probably the last race for KERS, it would be fantastic to achieve a good result with it. It would be a fitting farewell for all the engineers who worked so hard to make the McLaren-Mercedes system the best in the industry. »

Heikki Kovalainen – Racing Driver

I had a very good race in Brazil and I am determined to accumulate points at the Abu Dhabi GP to secure the third place in the Constructors’ Championship. From what I’ve seen of the track, it seems complete. There are a couple of fast corners at the start of the lap, but then the average speed is low with a technical section towards the end. It looks like a difficult track for overtaking, but the facilities look amazing, world-class. I think the idea of a race at dusk is very good for our sport. Singapore has set the bar very high with its night race, but Abu Dhabi seems to want to establish a new format in Formula 1.

Martin Whitmarsh – Team Principal:

« We have just overtaken Ferrari to position ourselves in third place in the Constructors’ Championship. With only a one-point lead and just one race remaining, this means we arrive in Abu Dhabi fully focused on gaining points to consolidate this position. As usual, there has been no drop in intensity in the team’s preparation. We head to Abu Dhabi encouraged by the pace we showed in Brazil, but also very optimistic about this new opportunity to secure victory. »

« Everything I have seen and heard about the Abu Dhabi circuit speaks to the complete passion of the organization and the commitment to perfection. The track already seems to have made all other circuits around the world forgettable. I think that, like Singapore, this weekend’s race will set a new benchmark in Formula 1 and will open up new possibilities for the sport in the Middle East and the rest of the world. »