With Lewis Hamilton ending his race in the pits due to a problem with his braking system, the situation looked like a “might happen” for the prancing horse. At the time of Ham's retirement, Kimi Raikkonen was sitting in 6th place and all he had to do was hang on to it until the finish line.
However, as hard as he pushed on Sunday, the Finn still failed to make the points at the Yas Marina Circuit, eventually finishing the race in 12th place. Giancarlo Fisichella didn't do a great job in Abu Dhabi either, as the Roman veteran ended his Ferrari stint with another disappointing 16th place.
“It's disappointing to see third place in the Constructors' Championship elude us by a single point, but we have to accept the verdict dished out on track,” said team principal Stefano Domenicali after the race, while admitting that this state of events in the closing stages of the 2009 season was caused by the team's switch of focus towards the 2010 machinery.
“We took a strategic decision regarding the development of the F60 a few months ago and we knew that, as time went by, the road ahead would get ever steeper. All the same, I wish to congratulate the entire team who, despite the difficult situation, continued to keep their concentration up, getting on with their work with determination and tenacity,” added Domenicali.
In addition, the Italian manager wanted to say good-bye to Kimi Raikkonen, with whom Ferrari have won 3 titles in the last 3 years – one in the drivers' race and 2 constructors' crowns. He took full responsibility for the failed season this year.
“This was Kimi's last race with us and again he gave it his all. We are very disappointed that this year, we did not give him a competitive car and I thank him for never having thrown in the towel, in fact, fighting even harder when the situation was at its trickiest,” concluded Domenicali.
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