Valtteri Bottas quickest for Williams Day 1 in Abu Dhabi

Driver: Valtteri Bottas Chassis/ Engine: FW36-01 / PU106a HybridLocations: Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi, 5.554kmObjectives: Aero evaluations, mechanical & systems work, 2015 tyre testsWeather: Hot and sunnyAir and Track Temps: 25-33°C / 26-44°CRod Nelson, Chief Test and Support Engineer: We had a very busy day predominantly testing the Pirelli tyres for next year. There is a new rear construction and the supersoft is a new compound and we are happy with the progress we have made so far. We have also tested a few systems for the FW37 and again, they were successful. We completed a busy programme and look forward to our final day of 2014 running tomorrow with Felipe Nasr.Valtteri Bottas: It was a good day overall and I really enjoyed it. Everything went to plan and we completed the programme we had planned. It was interesting to try the new Pirelli tyres against the old, we felt a few differences and that is knowledge that we will take forward for next year. The tyre degradation is a lot more consistent so Pirelli has done a good job with the new compound. We got some positive results from the systems we are testing for next year as well. It was a fun way to end the season. The FW36 has been a great car and a really good platform to build next year’s car from. I have a lot of faith that we can continue to move forward and improve, I am looking forward to getting next season underway now.Williams will return to the track tomorrow, Wednesday 26 November, for the final day of the test with Felipe Nasr driving the FW36.

1 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:43.396 80

2 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:43.888 81

3 Nico Rosberg MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS 1:44.512 114

4 Jolyon Palmer Force India 1:44.516 37

5 Carlos Sainz jr. Red Bull 1:45.339 100

6 Will Stevens Caterham 1:45.436 102

7 Charles Pic Lotus 1:46.167 89

8 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:46.253 95

9 Max Verstappen Toro Rosso 1:47.194 55

10 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren No time set 3


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