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From press release

Nico Rosberg made a step in the right direction, as he tries to overturn a 17-point deficit and beat his teammate Lewis Hamilton in the chase for the drivers' title.

The German secured his 11th pole of the season, some four tenths ahead of Hamilton, who simply seemed off the pace this time.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes W05 (Photo: WRI2)

It's also the 19th pole for a Mercedes-powered car this year. No engine manufacturer had claimed every pole in a season since Ford... in 1969.

Considering the point deficit, simply winning Sunday's race might not be enough for Rosberg to win the championship. The 29-year-old even joked about hiring Valtteri Bottas, who, being third on the grid, could help by finishing in front of Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W05 (Photo: WRI2)

"I will push flat out and keep the pressure high on Lewis to try to force him into a mistake like in Brazil and also hope that the Williams have a chance to be in between us," said Rosberg.

Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Valtteri Bottas (Photo: WRI2)

"I already offered to pay for Valtteri to have a great wellness programme tonight so that he is fully relaxed and will put on a great performance tomorrow... let's see what happens!"

(Photo: WRI2)

Qualifying results* - Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (round 19 of 19)
1.Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W05) - 1'40"480 - Q3
2.Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W05) - 1'40"866 - Q3
3.Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1'41"025 - Q3
4.Felipe Massa (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1'41"119 - Q3
5.Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1'41"267- Q3
6.Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1'41"893 - Q3
7.Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1'41"908 - Q3
8.Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 1'41”964 - Q3
9.Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F14-T) - 1'42"236 - Q3
10.Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F14-T) - 1'42”866 - Q3
11.Kevin Magnussen (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 1'42"198 - Q2
12.Jean Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1'42"207 - Q2
13.Sergio Perez (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1'42"239 - Q2
14.Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1'42"384 - Q2
15.Adrian Sutil (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1'43"074 - Q2
16.Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1'42”819 - Q1
17.Pastor Maldonado (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1'42"860 - Q1
18.Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 1'44”540 - Q1
19.Will Stevens (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 1'45”095 - Q1
20.Romain Grosjean (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1'42"768 - Q1 **

* Unofficial results
** 20-place grid penalty

From GMM

Caterham may have to use a 2014 engine if it is to make it onto next year's F1 grid.

The sport is treading new ground this weekend, with an insolvency expert Finbarr O'Connell, now in charge of ailing Caterham, sitting on the Abu Dhabi pitwall.

He is in town to show that the Leafield based team is still in shape to be taken over "off the shelf" by a buyer.

But there are obstacles to clear.

One of them might be on the driver front. O'Connell signed up Will Stevens for Abu Dhabi but he was seconds off Kamui Kobayashi's pace in practice.

But acting team boss O'Connell is quoted by France's L'Equipe: "The amount (of money) contributed by Will played a crucial role" in returning to F1.

Will Stevens, who played a big role in Caterham's return (Photo: WRI2)

Whether Caterham can complete its 2015 car, however, is another matter, amid the turmoil of the team's previous management and now the laying off of staff.

"As regards the car," O'Connell admitted, "my engineering team tell me that it's not hugely advanced but that if a purchaser comes along now, it will race in the championship next year."

Another option would be to cut costs by running the 2014 Renault engine instead of the significantly updated 2015 version.

Red Bull's Christian Horner said: "We'd have absolutely no problem in Caterham or any other team using the 2014 power unit if that assisted cost-saving, but that would mean a change in the regulations."

O'Connell, meanwhile, admitted that a new buyer may want to change the team's name, and also replace him as team principal.

"All I can feel is a responsibility for this team," he said, "and I would happily hand over my team principal badge straight away to anybody who would take it out of my hands and then I could go and sit in the stands and enjoy the grand prix."

From GMM

After just seven months in the job, Marco Mattiacci is set to lose his role as Ferrari team boss.

Germany's Sport Bild on Saturday cited 'well-informed sources' in claiming the 43-year-old Roman will be replaced by the Marlboro Europe brand manager Maurizio Arrivabene.

Mattiacci only took over from Stefano Domenicali in April of this year.

He said on Friday that what had struck him most about F1 since switching from heading Ferrari's North American road car arm was "the intensity, the complexity but also the incredible amount of talented people that are in formula one.

Maurizio Arrivabene with Bernie Ecclestone (Photo: WRI2)

"How amazing is this sport, a global platform, the visibility that specifically in my case I don't like for myself, but which is a consequence of the job," Mattiacci added.

"The level of competition, (the) aggression is really high, so a lot to learn, but at the same time I think I brought an understanding of people, choosing the right people and from here how to create an organisation for the future."

Mattiacci has overseen the replacement of the departing Fernando Alonso with Sebastian Vettel, but according to Sport Bild the Italian will vacate his post next week.

"Supposedly," said correspondents Ralf Bach and Bianca Garloff, "Sergio Marchionne was not satisfied with the Roman's work."

Mattiacci's successor, Arrivabene, is no stranger to F1, overseeing Marlboro's sponsorship of the Maranello team and reportedly already close to Bernie Ecclestone.

From GMM

Niki Lauda has admitted it is possible Sunday's championship showdown will end with a crash.

Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have endured a tense relationship all season, they actually clashed at Spa and now the 2014 world champion will be decided in Abu Dhabi.

"The chance of a collision is great," admitted team chairman Lauda, "because it's the final blow in the title race. We could see some very risky overtaking manoeuvres.

"But we need to just accept the risk as we are letting them go free. But certainly the risk is much higher than before," the F1 legend added.

But Lauda also told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper that he hopes the warring duo will recognise the bigger picture and keep their battle clean on Sunday.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg prepare for the 2014 F1 season showdown in Abu Dhabi (Photo: WRI2)

"Every driver knows that aggression like that can quickly end his own race," he said.

Lauda insisted, however, that it is no longer the team's role to sit the drivers down and urge them to drive sensibly.

"We are not going to interfere," he said.

"Fortunately there are no more third parties who can still be world champion, so now we have a showdown. Any admonition would be counterproductive.

"They should be free and able to do what they want to be world champion. I just hope we do well enough as a team to get through the race with both cars and no technical defects," Lauda added.

Chrysler Group said on Friday it was not satisfied with the speed of repairs of recalled Jeep SUVs that face a heightened fire risk and will enhance dealer communication and owner contact to accelerate the process.

After lake-effect snowstorms this week pounded upstate New York, Ford's Buffalo Stamping Plant has suspended operations until employees are able to travel to work.

Wilbur Ross, the billionaire turnaround artist who launched International Components Group in 2006, is stepping down as IAC's board chairman to take a senior position at the Bank of Cyprus.

Retired Ford chief technical officer Paul Mascarenas has joined ON Semiconductor's board of directors. Mascarenas, 53, also joined the semiconductor supplier's science and technology committee, the company said Thursday.

The nominee to lead the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is an expert in fatigue and pilot alertness, which signals the auto industry's drive to bring more Internet services and infotainment into cars should get intense scrutiny.

Ford said its aluminum-bodied F-150 pickup will get as much as 29 percent better fuel economy than its mostly steel predecessor as the automaker gambles with a new design for its top-selling and most profitable model.

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Next year's new Hyundai i20 will be the last car from the brand which people will buy primarily on price, says UK president and managing director Tony Whitehorn.

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