Double points finish for Williams

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F1 Grand Prix, GP Abu Dhabi, Yas Marina Circuitae

A double points finish for the Williams Formula One Team as Pastor Maldonado finished the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in fifth position and team mate Bruno Senna came across the finish line in eight position.

Mark Gillan, Chief Operations Engineer: "Whilst we are very pleased to have brought both cars home in the points we know we could have had an even better result. Pastor lost KERS in the race which left him open to attack from the chasing pack. He kept focused and pushed hard to keep the gap from Kobayashi finishing in a hard earned fifth. Bruno also did well, following heavy contact from Hulkenberg. He also fought his way through the pack to end in eighth, with both drivers collecting a total of 14 valuable points for the team. We now go to Austin looking to capitalise on our continuing improved performance."

Pastor Maldonado: "We missed the opportunity to finish on the podium today after we lost the use of KERS following the first safety car period. For sure there was more in the car. The pace was good and at the beginning I was closing the gap to Kimi but we still collected some good points today and it was a great race. I feel very motivated within the team. We now need to keep the car at the top and I am looking forward to the last two races."

Bruno Senna: "It was a very tough weekend but it had a sweet taste in the end. I had a good start getting myself into a good position for Turn 1 but then a few cars tangled ahead and hit me. I had to start from zero again but I kept my cool. There was a lot going on but we had good pace when we needed it and scored some solid points for the team. It is what we are here for and we never give up. There is a good energy and feeling now going into the final two races in Austin and Brazil."

Laurent Debout, Renault Sport F1 team support leader: "A great result for the team, particularly after such a tough middle part of the year. Pastor drove a fantastic race, despite having lost KERS, while Bruno did exceptionally well to finish in eighth. This carries forward the momentum of the last race and hopefully we can finish the season just as strongly."