West McLaren Mercedes drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Pedro de la Rosa finished seventh and ninth fastest in the first qualifying session for Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix. Kimi set a time of 1:30.594 whilst Pedro's time was 1:30.725. Qualifying took place in very hot conditions with track temperatures reaching 54 degrees Celsius and ambient temperatures 42 degrees.

Kimi Raikkonen: "The lap started well, however I lost a lot of time in the final sector when I ran wide in the final corner. Finishing seventh was not ideal and means that I have some work to do in second qualifying and the race. However I am happy with the car and I expect more to come tomorrow."

Pedro de la Rosa: "The track was very slippery as a lot of dust had blown onto the circuit during the break. Being the first driver out was a disadvantage, which was made worse by the windy conditions. However, I felt that the lap itself was good, and that we will be competitive tomorrow."

Ron Dennis: "Kimi's entry speed into the last corner was a little optimistic and the resulting understeer cost him a significant amount of time. However trying hard and sometimes getting it wrong is what life is about. Hopefully tomorrow we will see him move up the grid. Pedro's performance was exceptionally good taking into consideration the very difficult track conditions that often prevail at the early part of qualifying. His current grid position should give him the opportunity to move forward tomorrow. "

Norbert Haug: "Kimi entered the last corner a little bit too fast, and as a consequence he lost about half a second according to our data, which resulted in his seventh place. Pedro being out first on a dusty track achieved a respectable time under the difficult conditions. Tomorrow is another day; we can improve in both qualifying and the race"