BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX DRIVER QUOTES

Kimi Raikkonen:“We had decent speed today, I think we just have to keep working and improving the whole package,” said the 2007 world champion.

“I’m sure we will get there and we can fight every weekend after that.

“I’m very happy with the team and I think many people didn’t expect after last year that we would be in this position this early.

“We will start winning [more] races. We have to be patient and do the same work as we have done so far and we will get there.”

Raikkonen added that Ferrari deserves credit for making gains in all areas following a disappointing 2014 season.

“The whole package has gone forward,” he said. “A big chunk of it is the engine but you cannot give all the credit to them.

“The car has improved a lot, there’s a lot more downforce, it’s handling a lot better.

“All areas have improved, that is the key. People are working more closely, which has helped us get to where we have now.”

Romain Grosjean:“It had been a tough weekend until now for me, so it was really great to get another strong seventh position. Today’s race was great, especially as there was lots of overtaking. I was really hoping to catch Daniel Ricciardo but he was too quick for us today. It was quite difficult to manage tyres, especially with the rears so I think we did a good job to make the two-stop strategy work. We only had new medium compound tyres for the race, the rest were scrubbed, so it really was a great job by the team. It was a good recovery from Friday and Saturday’s session and I’ll happily take seventh place as my birthday gift for myself and the team.”

Pastor Maldonado:“That was a frustrating race for me. I pushed as hard as possible at the start on the medium tyres whilst everyone around me was on the grippier soft compound rubber. Once I moved to the soft tyres I was able to set the race’s then fastest lap so things looked good with our strategy. Unfortunately the engine anti-kill triggered when I came in to make my final pit stop which cost me a lot of time. It’s frustrating as we should have finished strongly. My focus is now Barcelona where I’ve delivered very strongly in the past.”

Valtteri Bottas: I am pleased with the race and happy with fourth position. It was a real shame for the team that Felipe had an issue at the start. It was a lonely race but the final 20 laps were very tough. Sebastian was quicker than me, and closed up behind very fast, but the fight was really good fun. I know a few tricks that can really help to defend and they all worked today, and I am delighted to come out on top today.

Felipe Massa: It was a frustrating day for me to have to start from the pitlane. The car struggled to fire-up and once under way I had a lot of positions to make up. A few laps in at Turn Four, Maldonado ran into the back of me and damaged something. From then on I really struggled with the rear and the car was very hard to drive. It was a difficult day but one point is better than nothing.

DANIEL RICCIARDO:“I think the race went as well as it could and I drove well to finish sixth. The chassis is working better and through the corners we are more or less there; we’ll move onto Europe and see if we can get further up the grid and keep improving. The weekend went pretty smooth for me until the end of the race, I don’t know what happened, but the team will have a look at it.”

DANIIL KVYAT:“I enjoyed the race today, it put a smile on my face. We had a good recovery to finish in the points. We gathered a lot of data to analyse and see what improvements can be made so we can move forward. As a team we want to improve and we’re all working hard to get there – I can feel good vibes are coming.”

BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX DRIVER QUOTES

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