Jenson Button, Brawn GP
“It’s a fantastic feeling to be going into the final race having achieved my ambition of winning the drivers’ championship and with the team having wrapped up the constructors’ championship in Brazil. We want to finish the season in style with a great result but we can be a little more relaxed in our approach to the weekend! I had a short break in the Gulf region after the Bahrain Grand Prix and went to have a look at the Yas Marina Circuit. Even back then, when the construction work was still underway, the facilities looked outstanding and the organisers have done a great job in creating a spectacular venue. It’s always fun to try a new race track, particularly one which looks as unique as Yas Marina with the unusual pit-lane exit and the day/night race. I’m sure Abu Dhabi is going to host an exciting weekend and a great finale to the 2009 Formula One season.”
Rubens Barrichello, Brawn GP
“It’s always a good challenge to race at a new venue and the Yas Marina Circuit looks extremely impressive from the reports that I have seen. The layout of the circuit seems both fun and challenging and it will be interesting to start the race in daylight and to finish in evening conditions. Our track walk on Thursday will be important to get an initial feel for the characteristics of the circuit and we will spend the first few laps on Friday getting to grips with the layout. From then on, it will be business as usual with our standard practice programme. The team has had a great season so far and we want to finish on a high with a strong performance this weekend.”
Mark Webber, Red Bull
“As usual, the F1 season has been pretty long, but it’s still always good to have the chance to drive the car again, particularly when we’re in our current form. The last race of the year will be very interesting to go to, as no-one’s raced there before and it’s another street circuit - it sounds fascinating. I think it will be a good finale to the season and a timely end to the championship. We’re all ready to start next year now, as the championship titles are decided. I’m expecting Red Bull Racing to be pretty strong in Abu Dhabi. We’ve been pretty strong since Singapore, so there’s no reason to suggest that we can’t be fighting towards the sharp end again, no question about it. As usual, qualifying will be very important on a street circuit and then we’ll see how the race goes from there. We’re looking to finish off on a high for the team. I’ve heard the Yas Marina Circuit has some nice undulations, which sounds good. It’s got a few fast sections to it and a slow section to finish off. I think it will be pretty dusty, but we’ll clean it up pretty quick; it’s always nice to go to a new track.”
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
“We’ve had a fantastic second half of the season, and it would be perfect to end the year with a win - it would send us into the winter fully motivated and pumped up for the 2010 season. All the signs point to Abu Dhabi being another strong track for us - there are plenty of slow corners leading onto long straights, where KERS will be very advantageous. Seeing as it’s likely to be the last race for KERS, it would be fantastic to send it off with a perfect result - that would be a very fitting farewell for all the engineers who have worked so hard to make the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes system the best in the business.”
Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
“The race in Abu Dhabi will be my last Grand Prix with Ferrari and as usual I will give it everything to gain the best possible result. We’ll try to conclude this difficult year with a good result, hoping that it will be enough to gain the third place in the constructors’ championship, McLaren took over in Brazil. It will be difficult, because the competition is very strong. Furthermore in Brazil the two titles have been assigned, so maybe there are certain drivers, who will risk a little bit more, as everything has been decided already. Our direct competitors are still improving their car, while we have been using the same car since the race in Hungary at the end of July. There are many expectations as far as the Yas Marina Circuit is concerned, but it’s difficult making any predictions, because we’re racing there for the first time. As far as we can see the organisers have done some great work and the circuit seems to me very interesting and challenging. Furthermore there will be a very special challenge, given the fact that we’ll start the race in sunlight, while it will end with artificial lights. This will definitely add some suspense.”
Fernando Alonso, Renault
“I always enjoy the challenge of a new circuit and the track in Abu Dhabi looks very impressive. It will be a new experience for everyone so it’s important that we maximise all the sessions and learn as much as we can quickly to try and find an advantage. I think the facility looks amazing and will be great for the people of Abu Dhabi. We went there a few years ago for the street demo and saw how much enthusiasm the fans have for Formula One. I would love to finish the season and my Renault career with a great result. It will be an emotional race because I have enjoyed so many special memories with this team and I am leaving behind a lot of friends. Renault is one of the great teams in Formula One and I look forward to fighting with them on the track in the years ahead.”
Jarno Trulli, Toyota
“It’s been an up-and-down season for us with such a strong start followed by some disappointing races in Europe then a really competitive end to the year. As Abu Dhabi is a new track it’s impossible to predict how we will perform but after the speed we showed in the last three races I am confident of finishing the year on a high. I was extremely frustrated to be eliminated by an accident in Brazil because we had looked very quick all weekend and I genuinely believe we had a fantastic chance of finishing on the podium. So I am confident for this weekend and I am really motivated to get another great result before the season ends. Abu Dhabi looks like another fantastic new venue and I am really interested to see what the track is like to drive so I can’t wait for practice to begin on Friday.”
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