Felipe Massa, last Friday in Formula 1: « I would have loved to finish in first place!»
The soon-to-be-retired driver finished the season on a freewheel and was even hoping for the impossible! But that didn't mean the Grove team rested on its laurels, quite the contrary. Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa even squeezed in between the two Force India drivers in the second session, in 7th and 10th positions respectively.
Two weeks ago, the Brazilian round ended with no points scored for the Williams drivers, following Felipe Massa’s retirement—whose emotional guard of honor will not be forgotten anytime soon—and the much quieter 11th position of the Finn. Therefore, the Grove team heads into this final stage with a 27-point deficit in the quest for fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Today was a rather conventional Friday for Sir Frank’s team at Yas Marina, with tests of aerodynamic elements for next year during the first session and adjustments and simulations in preparation for Sunday’s race.
Valtteri Bottas → FP1: 15th (1:45.940 – 31 laps) / FP2: 7th (1:41.959 – 35 laps)
The Finn had a satisfying first day of testing. The stated goal remains to compete with the Force India team: « Like a usual Friday, everything went well. During the first session, we conducted specific tests on the engine and aerodynamic components. So it’s difficult to comment. But the second session was better. It seems that we are where we were during the last races. Once again, we will fight with Force India. But I know there are improvements to be made and to come for tomorrow. »
Friday done. Good day overall. Read more about it below: #F1 #AbuDhabiGP #VB77 https://t.co/JWzkNgF6zp 📸 @glenn_dunbar pic.twitter.com/9HhS3kbYpV
— Valtteri Bottas (@ValtteriBottas) 25 novembre 2016
Felipe Massa → FP1: 9th (1:45.039 – 27 laps) / FP2: 10th (1:42.268 – 35 laps)
On the other side of the garage, it was a somewhat more special Friday for Felipe Massa and his 250th and last Grand Prix weekend. He describes his day and the hopes carried toward the continuation of events: « It was my last Friday, and I would have loved to finish in first position! In reality, I’d like to do the same on Saturday and especially for my last Sunday. Today, we tried to learn more about the tires and the car as much as possible, particularly on long runs. »
The performances seemed to be on point with ultra-softs and a lot of fuel on board.
But the Brazilian agrees that the task will not be easy, especially against Force India: « This will not be an easy race, but I will do everything I can to achieve the best possible result here in Abu Dhabi for my last Grand Prix. »
The former Ferrari driver will try to make the most of his last laps: « I will try to enjoy it as much as possible. But that will come through a good race result. So I hope that is what we can achieve on Sunday. »
Great boys!! @WilliamsRacing pic.twitter.com/vyaMtZ8ke4
— Felipe Massa (@MassaFelipe19) 25 novembre 2016
