Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Remarks for the stage

Pirelli

Mario Isol, Pirelli: “In Abu Dhabi we see the end of a very interesting season. Last year’s changes to some of the straights and corners at Yas Marina made it faster by balancing the longitudinal and lateral loading of the rubber. Despite these changes, teams will continue to focus more on the rear tires in order to get better grip.

On the Tuesday after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, teams can spend a whole day working on the 2023 slicks, recruiting experienced or young drivers.”

Red Bull races

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Ferrari

Interview: Richard Adami

Mercedes-AMG Petronas

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McLaren

Daniel Rickardo: “My last race in papaya flowers is just around the corner. I am looking forward to the start of the stage and will do my very best in these last days of the season.

I think there will be interesting battles on the track because the new cars have a lot more overtaking potential. It will be great to dance the last dance behind the wheel of the MCL36. I’m focused on finishing the season as high as possible.”

Lando Norris: “Ahead of the last race weekend of the season! We need to bounce back after the last stage so I’m looking forward to getting back out on the track and fighting for the last time this year.

Our car looks great this weekend thanks to a special livery created with our partner Vuse. I can’t wait to see the car on the track. Let’s end the last race of the season on a positive note.”

Andreas Seidl, Team boss: “The team is looking forward to the stage in Abu Dhabi. The season turned out to be long, everyone worked hard – the last race is just around the corner. At the end of the weekend, the team says goodbye to Daniel, but we will continue to fight together until Sunday evening.

It will be interesting to see how the new cars perform on the modified track. I hope there will be more overtaking. Additionally, as part of the Driven by Change initiative, we will have an updated livery this weekend – a great way to mark the end of the season.

We are more behind fourth in the Constructors’ Championship than we had hoped, but this season we have already seen that anything is possible, so the team will continue to fight tooth and nail in these final days.”

Alps

Interview: Otmar Safnauer | Fernando Alonso| Esteban Ocon

Alfa Romeo

Frederick Vasseur, Team boss: “A long and busy season ends this weekend in Abu Dhabi. It was a year of fundamental changes in the team, due to the new regulations and the new composition of the drivers. It seems like only yesterday that we started the season with two cars in Bahrain and now we are back in the Middle East for the final round.

During 22 races we had ups and downs, but I am happy with the work done. The whole team has put in a lot of effort on track and in the base, and we can already see the finish. The speed shown in recent stages gives us confidence and the points earned were an important reward on our way to sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship.

Our work is not done yet, but if we maintain the momentum we gained in Brazil, we will be able to fight in the middle of the pack again and secure the position we want at the end of the season.”

Valttery Bottas: “The season ends in Abu Dhabi. It’s been a busy year so I’m looking forward to a well deserved break with family and friends.

My first year with the team was very good – at the beginning there were good results, but the second half of the season turned out to be more difficult, but overall the season exceeded expectations. I am happy to have started this journey with the team and have faith in our future.

Points earned in previous races give us an advantage over closest rivals, but the work needs to be completed. We were fast in Brazil, so we’re going to Abu Dhabi with confidence.

I quite like the circuit where I was on the podium twice and won in 2017. This weekend we have another chance to perform well – the team on track and in the base at Hinwil will do everything they can to make the season best finish.”

Guanyu Zhou: “My debut season is coming to an end. In a way, the past 12 months have flown by for me in the blink of an eye. What a year! I can say with confidence that I learned a lot – both as a rider and as a person. I am curious what results we can achieve with the team next season.

From day one I felt at home in the team. Everyone was very friendly from Frederick and Valtteri to all of the Hinwil staff. They all played a big part in my progression from race to race. I enjoyed our collaboration and I intend to repay the team with a high result for a great first season together.

In the past I’ve enjoyed racing in Abu Dhabi – I’ve been on the podium several times in Formula 2. In Brazil we had a great pace so it’s a shame I wasn’t able to take advantage of that. I am motivated going into the last race of the season and will do everything I can to help the team secure sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship.”

Haas F1

Interview: Gunter Steiner | Kevin Magnussen | Michael Schumacher

AlphaTauri

Pierre Gasley: “The race weekend in Brazil turned out to be another one where the race was not in our favour. I attacked with all my might, so I’m disappointed I didn’t score any points. Ahead of the last stage of the season, which is very important because for us it is the last chance to finish eighth in the Constructors’ Championship.

An emotional weekend awaits me – my last with AlphaTauri after five years together. Our relationship with the team has long since outgrown working. I personally know all the engineers, mechanics, employees on the base. We spent time together, even outside of work. The last joint race is just around the corner – I don’t think there will be many riders who have played for one team for five years.

I have a lot of nice memories together, so this weekend I will do my best and I hope we can get a good result. I also want to enjoy the whole weekend and think back to all the great moments we have had with the team over the past five years.

As for the race, last year I finished fifth. Now I don’t have such high expectations because it’s hard to predict our competitive position. This season it is more difficult for us to fight for points, but they remain our target. I want to end my partnership with AlphaTauri with another top ten finish.”

Yuki Tsunoda: “The weekend in São Paulo was difficult from day one because my car had no grip. We completely changed the settings before the race, which helped, although I had to start from the pit lane. However, I cannot say that I was completely satisfied with the car. I hope we find a solution and the car will perform better in the last race of the season.

Last year I spent a fantastic weekend in Abu Dhabi, so I have fond memories of finishing the season at this track. It was great to finish the debut year with an eighth fastest time in qualifying and a fourth place for Pierre. I showed what I can do and that gave confidence to the whole team.

It will be great to repeat the result this year, but I don’t expect much because last year’s car was better than the current one. However, I will work the same way as always – let’s see what result this will lead to.

Yas Marina is a difficult circuit and tire wear in the third sector can be an issue, so choosing the right settings is important. The special thing about the route is that there are no ideal settings for all three sectors at the same time.

I will be sad because Pierre is leaving the team. He was a great teammate on and off the track. We became friends and have a great professional relationship. I learned a lot from him in every race, especially last year. Without Pierre I would not have made such progress.

A huge thank you to Pierre and I hope we enjoy our last weekend together.”

Aston Martin

Sebastian Vettel: “I have an emotional weekend ahead of me, my career in Formula 1 is coming to an end. I am sure it will bring back many happy memories of the last fifteen years of my career. I want to enjoy the last Grand Prix with my team Prix, with everyone I met during the performances.

I spent two fantastic years with Aston Martin F1, we had a lot of fun. I want to end my career with a good result, I will fight with all my might to get an excellent result on the track, where I won my first championship title twelve years ago.”

Lance walk: “After the reconfiguration of the circuit in Abu Dhabi it has become a bit easier to overtake and the new cars make it easier to fight for position. I hope that this will allow us to close the season with a good result.

I want to pay tribute to Sebastian for his last Grand Prix. He’s been a fantastic partner for me, it’s interesting to work with him, I’ve learned a lot from him both in racing and in life. I wish him and his family all the best.”

Willems

Alex Albon: “The last race of the season is just around the corner, we’ll see how this week goes, but we want to finish the year with a good result. The Abu Dhabi circuit should be more suitable for our cars than the last two grands prix, and as this is Nicholas’s last race with the team, I hope all goes well for him.”

Nicholas LatifiLooking forward to my last weekend with Williams in Formula 1, I hope to enjoy it. This weekend I will not participate in first practice, but as qualifying and the race take place at night, this will not change the situation much.

It is a pity that this is my last Grand Prix, but I have spent three great years with Williams, with many ups and downs. I hope I can finish the season with a good result.”

Logan Sargent: “I am looking forward to getting behind the wheel during the final first practice session of the season this year and then taking part in the testing of young drivers behind the wheel of Williams.

In 2022 I got behind the wheel of the FW44 during four race weekends and learned a lot about the new generation of cars. This weekend, together with the first practice, I will focus on the final phase of Formula 2, which I hope to play with as much confidence as possible.