After months of preparation and weeks of testing, it is almost time for the 12 teams and 24 drivers that make up the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship to show just what they can do. The Formula One fraternity looks ahead to this weekend’s season opener in Melbourne’s Albert Park.
Here are a few preview quotes from drivers and team principal's on the 2012 Australian Formula One Grand Prix:
Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal
"After the long winter months I think we are all looking forward to the start of the new season. Our testing form has looked competitive, but it’s only when we get to the first race that we really get a feel for the pecking order and how well everyone has done over the winter. From our side there is no doubt that Andrew Green and his technical team have done an outstanding job to deliver a well-balanced car. I would even go as far as saying the VJM05 is the best engineered car we have produced and the detail of the design is beautiful. It’s a car we believe can help us take another step forward.
Driver-wise I’m extremely excited by our line-up this year. Nico and Paul are both young and hungry, and will ensure we squeeze every last thousandth from the car. There will be some healthy in-house rivalry, too, which will be fascinating to watch, and I believe that we will get better results in the long run by having two drivers pushing each other on. As for Melbourne, it’s a city I enjoy visiting immensely and the track has produced some good races over the years. It was in Melbourne that Force India made its debut back in 2008 and it’s a good opportunity to reflect on how far we have come in the last five years. As for expectations, I remain cautious on making predictions, simply because there are so many unknowns.
Our analysis suggests that we could see one of the closest grids in years, especially in the upper part of the midfield. Even so, our stated goal remains the same - to see Sahara Force India continue progressing and challenge the established teams that lie ahead of us."
Paul di Resta, Force India
2011 Qualifying - 14th, 2011 Race - 10th
“The build-up to Melbourne has been a while coming, but at the same time it doesn’t feel like there’s been that much testing. In fact, compared to last year, there has been one less test, but it’s been a good winter for us in general. It’s a great place to start the season and the fans always get behind the race, so it will be interesting to see how it feels second time around. After a good winter break I’m just looking forward to getting back to the racing. I enjoy the circuit.
There’s a good balance between high and low speed, plus it’s a mixture between a street circuit and a permanent track, and that makes it quite unusual. I think the final sector stands out for me as the most interesting because it’s quite tricky and easy to get it wrong. We were strong on street circuits last year, especially Singapore, so hopefully that will continue. All the teams around us look strong and have been consistent in testing, so we just have to wait and see. Also, I think almost every team will have some new parts on their cars so it really is too early to make any judgements. To begin with our goal is simply to try and pick up points at every race.”
Ross Brawn, Mercedes team principal
"The build-up to the start of a new season is always an exciting time, no matter how many times you have experienced it, and everyone at the team is looking forward to the action getting underway in Melbourne next week. We are well prepared, both at the factory and on track, as a result of our structured development and testing plan, and I am confident that we are in a good position. How this translates to our performance relative to the competition is, of course, the key question and it will be interesting to see how it all shapes out next weekend. My thanks to all of the team at Brackley and Brixworth for their hard work and dedication over the winter months and I hope we will be able to reward them with a strong season. Melbourne has always been one of the atmospheric races on the calendar, and certainly one of my favourite cities to visit, so I look forward to a good week ahead."
Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
2011 Qualifying - 7th, 2011 Race - DNF
"I'm really looking forward to the start of the new season in Australia next weekend. I had a perfect winter break with plenty of rest, a good training camp and a successful pre-season test programme where we were able to put a lot of mileage on our F1 W03 car. So we are really ready for the first race. I always love the atmosphere in Melbourne; it's a great city and the fans are fantastic.
After all of the hard work, and all of the speculation, it will be really interesting to see where we are on Saturday afternoon after qualifying. Before heading to Australia, I will be in New Zealand for a bike training camp to help me adjust to the time difference and the climate 'Down Under'."
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
2011 Qualifying - 1st, 2011 Race - 1st
"Testing has been busy over the last few weeks and I think we have made a decent step with the car. You never really know where you are until we get to Melbourne and even then you don’t really see what everyone has got until qualifying - so I’m looking forward to getting started. Australia and Malaysia are different circuits so they are hard to compare.
Australia is not a permanent race track, it’s quite bumpy and it’s tough for the car. Malaysia is smoother, as it’s a permanent race track with fast corners, but both are good tracks and Australia is one of the best places we go to. It’s good to know we’re going racing again, I can’t wait to get on the flight and get down under."
Mark Webber, Red Bull
2011 Qualifying - 3rd, 2011 Race - 5th
"This will be my eleventh Australian GP and I can’t wait to get started. The Grand Prix is one of the best sporting events that we have in Australia. It’s great to see the support and Australian flags in the crowd. I’ve incorporated more of an Australian theme into my helmet, which I’ll be using for the whole year, not just in Australia.
It’s been an extremely intense few months for the whole team and it’s incredible when you count up how many sleep-deprived hours have gone in to preparing the car as best we can - from pit stops to reliability to driver comfort in the cockpit - you name it, we've always been looking to improve. There’s always a huge amount of interest in the first race; this year is no different and there’s no better place to have it than Australia."
Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal
"I’ve never lost my enthusiasm, optimism or motivation for the start of each new Formula One season - and this year is no exception. As is often the case, you can complete thousands of kilometres of testing, analyse hundreds of thousands of lines of performance data and read pages of web and magazine editorial and still not have a clear idea of overall form going into the first race. I think that’s an intrinsic and fascinating aspect of Formula One: the resetting of the bar at the end of each season and the relentless, and often invisible, quest to emerge on top at the start of a new year.
I think Australia will be fascinating: the winter’s testing has been so finely balanced that it’s particularly difficult accurately to judge who’ll be the quickest. And that’s fantastic for Formula One fans across the globe. At Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, we’ve had an extremely productive winter - I’ve never seen Jenson and Lewis looking so healthy, committed and prepared for a new season. There’s a real hunger within the whole organisation - I’ve witnessed it in conversation with our heads of department, our engineers and our mechanics: we want to win more than ever and we’ve left no stone unturned in our quest for performance.
Make no mistake, this will be a long, arduous and difficult campaign, and I’m naturally reluctant to stick my neck out and make any predictions, but my greatest hope is that we go to Australia and put on a world-beating show to demonstrate to the world that Formula One is back, and back with a bang!"
Jenson Button, McLaren
2011 Qualifying - 4th, 2011 Race - 6th
"My first Grand Prix was here way back in 2000 - it was just a buzz to be in Formula One: it was pretty intense, the whole weekend just flew past pretty quickly. I had pole here in 2006 - another good memory. But I think the two most significant memories for me were, in 2009, winning from pole for Brawn GP. It was a momentous race for the entire team and it felt so sweet to give them such a reward. And winning here in 2010… just an incredible day. Going early for the dry tyre, then almost losing the car at Turn Three, putting the others off following my example, and then finding a rhythm and having a fantastic car underneath me. That was my first win for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes - it was completely unexpected, but a really significant result for me personally. It is a special race - you step off the plane after a long, cold European winter and it’s usually very sunny and the people are incredibly welcoming. I think the circuit is a nice challenge too - it’s not a particularly technical track, but the surface is always rubbering in across the whole race weekend, and it’s a place that encourages nip-and-tuck racing. For a street track, it’s got a really good flow, you can really find a good rhythm - and it’s got some fast corners too, which is unusual for a road course.
"I think the new rules have definitely made it a more competitive place - it’s easier to pass here now than it ever was. And I think the potential of a second DRS zone will be a real benefit -last year, along the start line wasn’t quite enough for overtaking - I think we’ll get more benefit from a second zone. Finally, the walls around here are close enough to keep your mind focused. I can’t remember a race here that wasn’t eventful or surprising in some way - so it’s the perfect place to kick off the season. I’m happy with our preparations. You always want more laps and more time in the car, but, unlike last year, we’ve had a very solid start to our pre-season. It’s been very difficult to read pace over the winter because a lot of teams have been playing their cards close to their chests: I think it’s going to be extremely close, and I can’t wait to find out where we sit in the pecking order.”
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
2011 Qualifying - 2nd, 2011 Race - 2nd
"Melbourne is a city that has sport running through its veins - and the crowd lives and breathes it. It’s a great place to start the season. For me, Melbourne means sunshine, smiling faces, a great paddock - a bit compact but very friendly, a great city with a really positive vibe - and a racetrack that’s really made for racing. A place where you can really get the back-end of the car moving around quite nicely yet still feel like you’re fully in control of the car. The track has got a nice flow to it - I love the fast sweepers behind the pits, it’s awesome when you get them right - and it’s a place where, the more you can attack, the faster you go. My kind of place! I actually feel more relaxed and ready for the new season than I think I’ve ever done. Everything has gone smoothly with the car - which is more than we can say for last year! - and it just seems to be a responsive and reliable package. My final day in the car - with the aero package we plan to run next weekend - also felt good: the car was a useful step forward. Of course, we haven’t tested it in competition yet, but there’s plenty to feel optimistic about. It’s a bit weird to have driven the car for a whole month and still not done a really fast lap - I guess we’ll really find the limit next Saturday. Obviously, this is always the time of year when you’re feeling positive, but we’ve got plenty to look forward to. I’m going to get off the plane in Australia with a big smile on my face."
"I have a realistic aim: to score some useful points and use the race to kickstart our challenge for the world championship. That might sound like we’re aiming low - we’re not - but, at this time of year, it’s good to remember that it’s going to be a very long season. There’s no point putting all your eggs in one basket - I’d love to win in Melbourne, sure, but there are 19 races afterwards, so it’ll be important to get some points on the board. As long as I can leave Australia feeling confident that we have a car that’s able to fight for the title, then I’ll feel happy. It’s as simple as that."
Bruno Senna, Williams
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
“I am really looking forward to going to Australia. About a month after the last race of the season you are itching to get back racing, so four months later I really can’t wait to get started. Getting into the car on Friday will be very exciting, and I hope we can be competitive from the very beginning. I know the Albert Park circuit, having driven there for HRT in 2010.
I've also had success, winning three of the four Formula Three races supporting the Australian Grand Prix in 2006, so I have good memories of the place. Pre-season testing was promising, but you never know exactly what everyone is doing. It is certainly very close, so it is going to be very tight this year."
Tony Fernandes, Caterham team principal
"Melbourne 2012 is a very important race for us and one I am possibly more excited about than any race we have participated in our two short years in F1. We shed the new team tag at the start of 2011, but for most of last season we were racing in what felt like no-mans-land. We were comfortably ahead of the two teams that made their debuts at the same time as us in 2010, and for a large part of last year we were what felt like inches away from the teams just ahead.
Now it is time for us to take our place as a midfield team, and we have everything in place to do just that. If we do, and find ourselves racing teams like Williams, Toro Rosso and Sauber I think that will be an incredible achievement, from a starting point of an empty factory in September 2009 to racing teams who have decades on us in terms of establishment and development. If we are not quite there at the start of the season it will not be for lack of effort, and we will keep fighting all year to bridge the gap to what will be a very tightly packed group of teams just in front."
Heikki Kovalainen, Caterham
2011 Qualifying - 19th, 2011 Race - DNF
"After three pretty solid weeks of testing we're heading to Melbourne in good shape. We've clearly moved on from where we started in 2011, and are a long way ahead of where we were in 2010 but we're still all staying very realistic about what we can do this season. Apart from a few issues in the second test, which were all sorted out for T3, our reliability has been good, and both Vitaly and I put in laps that showed we are close to the pace we want to be.
But as everyone knows the tests don't really tell you anything about where you are against everyone else, so we won't really know anything until Saturday in Melbourne. Whatever happens when we get there, I just want it all to start right now. I've had a great winter, worked hard and am heading into 2012 feeling fitter than ever. I've made a couple of changes off track that will help me focus even more on my job with the team and with the step forward we've taken with this year's car, I'm more keen than ever to get out on track and see how we've progressed again this year."
Sergio Perez, Sauber
2011 Qualifying - 13th, 2011 Race - DSQ
“I just can’t wait to go racing again. My feelings ahead of this season are quite different to last year, when everything was entirely new to me. Now, with one season in Formula One under my belt, I feel physically and mentally capable of doing the job. One year of experience isn’t that much, but even this will allow me to focus more on performance than I was able to last year. I got used to a variety of circumstances which come along when you are a Formula One driver. This goes for procedures and communication inside the team, but it also includes that I found a good personal life balance with all the travelling.
My target for 2012 is to make the most of the car in every given situation and to fully establish myself in Formula One. We have made really good progress during testing and learnt a lot about the new car. Nevertheless, the track in Melbourne can still come up with surprises. Last year, for example, we would never have expected it was possible to get away with only one pit stop for the race distance because testing suggested higher tyre wear. So we will see how we manage the first Grand Prix and, although the track in Melbourne is a special one and not that representative, we will get a first indication of where we are with the C31 in terms of performance.”
Peter Sauber, Sauber team principal
“This coming season is the 20th for the Sauber F1 Team. Having said this, you might expect that the first race of a season would be routine by now. But this is by no means the case. I even have the feeling that this year the excitement is special. The winter tests left the impression that the competition could be tighter than ever before. Apparently the midfield teams have reduced the gap to the top teams.
I am really pleased with the progress we made during testing and I think we are well prepared. We have to be because we have set ourselves quite high targets for 2012. We want to score points on a regular basis and significantly improve our position in the constructors’ championship. We are well aware that this sounds very ambitious, but this is what we are working on."
John Booth, Marussia team principal
“It has been a tough time for everyone but it is situations like this that really test the mettle of a team. The early years were always going to be tough for us but I have never had any doubts about the ability of our people to ride whatever storm comes our way. It is that faith rewarded that sees us heading out to Melbourne in a rather more orderly fashion than you might expect. The journey is just a breather of course and when we get there, we will no doubt face a challenging time building up to the race.
We have not had the track time we’d hoped for with the MR01 and therefore the time it takes to iron out the teething problems that are to be expected with a new car. We take some heart from a relatively straightforward roll-out during two days of promotional running last week but we have yet to run on the Pirelli P-Zero performance tyres and really glimpse the first signs of the potential of the package. Nonetheless, we’re heading in the right direction again and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank every single member of our team, and our partners, for all their support and efforts. It is over to us now to do the best job possible in these first few races."
Timo Glock, Marussia
2011 Qualifying - 21st, 2011 Race - NC
“I couldn’t wait to try the MR01 for the first time last Monday. Even though it wasn’t in representative conditions, it has been a long wait to get my hands on a car that I’m hoping will be a good step forward from the past two seasons. It has been a frustrating winter for sure, but you have two choices and the only thing to do was to focus on everything we could be doing off-track to make sure we were as prepared as possible for when we did run the car. I’ve done a lot of work in the simulator and with the team in Banbury and in terms of my personal fitness I have been training harder than ever before.
Melbourne will be a bit of a voyage into the unknown but we have nothing to lose and I’m even more excited than usual to see how the car feels in Friday’s first free practice. Albert Park is a great track and I love going there for the first race of the season. I would rather be going there with more preparation but we will do the best we can and see where we are.”
Eric Boullier, Lotus team principal
“It looks positive. At testing you never know what people are doing but from the Lotus F1 Team perspective our drivers were happy with the car’s easiness to drive and overall performance. The E20 reacts well to driver input and engineer changes so the whole package is a decent basis for us to work from. Of course, we don’t know where we are standing relative to the other teams.
We certainly believe that this year the competition will be much closer and we hope we’re at the right end of that competition. We want to be seen and performing as one of the top teams in this highly competitive sport. For me this year will be monitored by the progress we make during the course of the season."
Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
“For the first race in Australia we want to have a good weekend without any major issues or mistakes. I don’t know where we’re going to be on the grid - nobody knows. If you look at the lap times from testing everybody is very close to each other. We don’t know what everyone was doing with fuel load and that makes a massive difference. We’ll have some idea after practice in Melbourne, then after qualifying everyone will know exactly where we are. I feel very happy with the team. We’re still learning things, but everything is going smoothly and there are no problems at all, so it’s a good position to start the season. Australia is a nice place even though it’s a long way from Europe. The circuit itself is not the most difficult on the calendar. It was good to score a point on my first time at Albert Park, and the podiums and race win in 2007 obviously made me happy. The circuit hasn’t changed at all so I’m confident I know where it goes.
“You need a car with good traction and everything from testing says that the E20 has good traction so that will help us. Strong turn-in and stable braking help too, and those areas also feel good with the car so we are well placed. The track can be a bit slippery at the beginning of the weekend and the Melbourne weather is not always very warm; the Melbourne weather can definitely be a bit tricky. This will be the first race so I don’t know how we’ll compare to the other teams. My engineers have been running simulations and looking at the test data so we have an idea of how the car should work at Albert Park, but we won’t know for sure until we get out on track. It’s very difficult to say before we’ve been out on track, but I think and hope we’ll be reasonably strong.”
Here are a few preview quotes from drivers and team principal's on the 2012 Australian Formula One Grand Prix:
Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal
"After the long winter months I think we are all looking forward to the start of the new season. Our testing form has looked competitive, but it’s only when we get to the first race that we really get a feel for the pecking order and how well everyone has done over the winter. From our side there is no doubt that Andrew Green and his technical team have done an outstanding job to deliver a well-balanced car. I would even go as far as saying the VJM05 is the best engineered car we have produced and the detail of the design is beautiful. It’s a car we believe can help us take another step forward.
Driver-wise I’m extremely excited by our line-up this year. Nico and Paul are both young and hungry, and will ensure we squeeze every last thousandth from the car. There will be some healthy in-house rivalry, too, which will be fascinating to watch, and I believe that we will get better results in the long run by having two drivers pushing each other on. As for Melbourne, it’s a city I enjoy visiting immensely and the track has produced some good races over the years. It was in Melbourne that Force India made its debut back in 2008 and it’s a good opportunity to reflect on how far we have come in the last five years. As for expectations, I remain cautious on making predictions, simply because there are so many unknowns.
Our analysis suggests that we could see one of the closest grids in years, especially in the upper part of the midfield. Even so, our stated goal remains the same - to see Sahara Force India continue progressing and challenge the established teams that lie ahead of us."
Paul di Resta, Force India
2011 Qualifying - 14th, 2011 Race - 10th
“The build-up to Melbourne has been a while coming, but at the same time it doesn’t feel like there’s been that much testing. In fact, compared to last year, there has been one less test, but it’s been a good winter for us in general. It’s a great place to start the season and the fans always get behind the race, so it will be interesting to see how it feels second time around. After a good winter break I’m just looking forward to getting back to the racing. I enjoy the circuit.
There’s a good balance between high and low speed, plus it’s a mixture between a street circuit and a permanent track, and that makes it quite unusual. I think the final sector stands out for me as the most interesting because it’s quite tricky and easy to get it wrong. We were strong on street circuits last year, especially Singapore, so hopefully that will continue. All the teams around us look strong and have been consistent in testing, so we just have to wait and see. Also, I think almost every team will have some new parts on their cars so it really is too early to make any judgements. To begin with our goal is simply to try and pick up points at every race.”
Ross Brawn, Mercedes team principal
"The build-up to the start of a new season is always an exciting time, no matter how many times you have experienced it, and everyone at the team is looking forward to the action getting underway in Melbourne next week. We are well prepared, both at the factory and on track, as a result of our structured development and testing plan, and I am confident that we are in a good position. How this translates to our performance relative to the competition is, of course, the key question and it will be interesting to see how it all shapes out next weekend. My thanks to all of the team at Brackley and Brixworth for their hard work and dedication over the winter months and I hope we will be able to reward them with a strong season. Melbourne has always been one of the atmospheric races on the calendar, and certainly one of my favourite cities to visit, so I look forward to a good week ahead."
Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
2011 Qualifying - 7th, 2011 Race - DNF
"I'm really looking forward to the start of the new season in Australia next weekend. I had a perfect winter break with plenty of rest, a good training camp and a successful pre-season test programme where we were able to put a lot of mileage on our F1 W03 car. So we are really ready for the first race. I always love the atmosphere in Melbourne; it's a great city and the fans are fantastic.
After all of the hard work, and all of the speculation, it will be really interesting to see where we are on Saturday afternoon after qualifying. Before heading to Australia, I will be in New Zealand for a bike training camp to help me adjust to the time difference and the climate 'Down Under'."
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
2011 Qualifying - 1st, 2011 Race - 1st
"Testing has been busy over the last few weeks and I think we have made a decent step with the car. You never really know where you are until we get to Melbourne and even then you don’t really see what everyone has got until qualifying - so I’m looking forward to getting started. Australia and Malaysia are different circuits so they are hard to compare.
Australia is not a permanent race track, it’s quite bumpy and it’s tough for the car. Malaysia is smoother, as it’s a permanent race track with fast corners, but both are good tracks and Australia is one of the best places we go to. It’s good to know we’re going racing again, I can’t wait to get on the flight and get down under."
Mark Webber, Red Bull
2011 Qualifying - 3rd, 2011 Race - 5th
"This will be my eleventh Australian GP and I can’t wait to get started. The Grand Prix is one of the best sporting events that we have in Australia. It’s great to see the support and Australian flags in the crowd. I’ve incorporated more of an Australian theme into my helmet, which I’ll be using for the whole year, not just in Australia.
It’s been an extremely intense few months for the whole team and it’s incredible when you count up how many sleep-deprived hours have gone in to preparing the car as best we can - from pit stops to reliability to driver comfort in the cockpit - you name it, we've always been looking to improve. There’s always a huge amount of interest in the first race; this year is no different and there’s no better place to have it than Australia."
Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal
"I’ve never lost my enthusiasm, optimism or motivation for the start of each new Formula One season - and this year is no exception. As is often the case, you can complete thousands of kilometres of testing, analyse hundreds of thousands of lines of performance data and read pages of web and magazine editorial and still not have a clear idea of overall form going into the first race. I think that’s an intrinsic and fascinating aspect of Formula One: the resetting of the bar at the end of each season and the relentless, and often invisible, quest to emerge on top at the start of a new year.
I think Australia will be fascinating: the winter’s testing has been so finely balanced that it’s particularly difficult accurately to judge who’ll be the quickest. And that’s fantastic for Formula One fans across the globe. At Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, we’ve had an extremely productive winter - I’ve never seen Jenson and Lewis looking so healthy, committed and prepared for a new season. There’s a real hunger within the whole organisation - I’ve witnessed it in conversation with our heads of department, our engineers and our mechanics: we want to win more than ever and we’ve left no stone unturned in our quest for performance.
Make no mistake, this will be a long, arduous and difficult campaign, and I’m naturally reluctant to stick my neck out and make any predictions, but my greatest hope is that we go to Australia and put on a world-beating show to demonstrate to the world that Formula One is back, and back with a bang!"
Jenson Button, McLaren
2011 Qualifying - 4th, 2011 Race - 6th
"My first Grand Prix was here way back in 2000 - it was just a buzz to be in Formula One: it was pretty intense, the whole weekend just flew past pretty quickly. I had pole here in 2006 - another good memory. But I think the two most significant memories for me were, in 2009, winning from pole for Brawn GP. It was a momentous race for the entire team and it felt so sweet to give them such a reward. And winning here in 2010… just an incredible day. Going early for the dry tyre, then almost losing the car at Turn Three, putting the others off following my example, and then finding a rhythm and having a fantastic car underneath me. That was my first win for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes - it was completely unexpected, but a really significant result for me personally. It is a special race - you step off the plane after a long, cold European winter and it’s usually very sunny and the people are incredibly welcoming. I think the circuit is a nice challenge too - it’s not a particularly technical track, but the surface is always rubbering in across the whole race weekend, and it’s a place that encourages nip-and-tuck racing. For a street track, it’s got a really good flow, you can really find a good rhythm - and it’s got some fast corners too, which is unusual for a road course.
"I think the new rules have definitely made it a more competitive place - it’s easier to pass here now than it ever was. And I think the potential of a second DRS zone will be a real benefit -last year, along the start line wasn’t quite enough for overtaking - I think we’ll get more benefit from a second zone. Finally, the walls around here are close enough to keep your mind focused. I can’t remember a race here that wasn’t eventful or surprising in some way - so it’s the perfect place to kick off the season. I’m happy with our preparations. You always want more laps and more time in the car, but, unlike last year, we’ve had a very solid start to our pre-season. It’s been very difficult to read pace over the winter because a lot of teams have been playing their cards close to their chests: I think it’s going to be extremely close, and I can’t wait to find out where we sit in the pecking order.”
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
2011 Qualifying - 2nd, 2011 Race - 2nd
"Melbourne is a city that has sport running through its veins - and the crowd lives and breathes it. It’s a great place to start the season. For me, Melbourne means sunshine, smiling faces, a great paddock - a bit compact but very friendly, a great city with a really positive vibe - and a racetrack that’s really made for racing. A place where you can really get the back-end of the car moving around quite nicely yet still feel like you’re fully in control of the car. The track has got a nice flow to it - I love the fast sweepers behind the pits, it’s awesome when you get them right - and it’s a place where, the more you can attack, the faster you go. My kind of place! I actually feel more relaxed and ready for the new season than I think I’ve ever done. Everything has gone smoothly with the car - which is more than we can say for last year! - and it just seems to be a responsive and reliable package. My final day in the car - with the aero package we plan to run next weekend - also felt good: the car was a useful step forward. Of course, we haven’t tested it in competition yet, but there’s plenty to feel optimistic about. It’s a bit weird to have driven the car for a whole month and still not done a really fast lap - I guess we’ll really find the limit next Saturday. Obviously, this is always the time of year when you’re feeling positive, but we’ve got plenty to look forward to. I’m going to get off the plane in Australia with a big smile on my face."
"I have a realistic aim: to score some useful points and use the race to kickstart our challenge for the world championship. That might sound like we’re aiming low - we’re not - but, at this time of year, it’s good to remember that it’s going to be a very long season. There’s no point putting all your eggs in one basket - I’d love to win in Melbourne, sure, but there are 19 races afterwards, so it’ll be important to get some points on the board. As long as I can leave Australia feeling confident that we have a car that’s able to fight for the title, then I’ll feel happy. It’s as simple as that."
Bruno Senna, Williams
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
“I am really looking forward to going to Australia. About a month after the last race of the season you are itching to get back racing, so four months later I really can’t wait to get started. Getting into the car on Friday will be very exciting, and I hope we can be competitive from the very beginning. I know the Albert Park circuit, having driven there for HRT in 2010.
I've also had success, winning three of the four Formula Three races supporting the Australian Grand Prix in 2006, so I have good memories of the place. Pre-season testing was promising, but you never know exactly what everyone is doing. It is certainly very close, so it is going to be very tight this year."
Tony Fernandes, Caterham team principal
"Melbourne 2012 is a very important race for us and one I am possibly more excited about than any race we have participated in our two short years in F1. We shed the new team tag at the start of 2011, but for most of last season we were racing in what felt like no-mans-land. We were comfortably ahead of the two teams that made their debuts at the same time as us in 2010, and for a large part of last year we were what felt like inches away from the teams just ahead.
Now it is time for us to take our place as a midfield team, and we have everything in place to do just that. If we do, and find ourselves racing teams like Williams, Toro Rosso and Sauber I think that will be an incredible achievement, from a starting point of an empty factory in September 2009 to racing teams who have decades on us in terms of establishment and development. If we are not quite there at the start of the season it will not be for lack of effort, and we will keep fighting all year to bridge the gap to what will be a very tightly packed group of teams just in front."
Heikki Kovalainen, Caterham
2011 Qualifying - 19th, 2011 Race - DNF
"After three pretty solid weeks of testing we're heading to Melbourne in good shape. We've clearly moved on from where we started in 2011, and are a long way ahead of where we were in 2010 but we're still all staying very realistic about what we can do this season. Apart from a few issues in the second test, which were all sorted out for T3, our reliability has been good, and both Vitaly and I put in laps that showed we are close to the pace we want to be.
But as everyone knows the tests don't really tell you anything about where you are against everyone else, so we won't really know anything until Saturday in Melbourne. Whatever happens when we get there, I just want it all to start right now. I've had a great winter, worked hard and am heading into 2012 feeling fitter than ever. I've made a couple of changes off track that will help me focus even more on my job with the team and with the step forward we've taken with this year's car, I'm more keen than ever to get out on track and see how we've progressed again this year."
Sergio Perez, Sauber
2011 Qualifying - 13th, 2011 Race - DSQ
“I just can’t wait to go racing again. My feelings ahead of this season are quite different to last year, when everything was entirely new to me. Now, with one season in Formula One under my belt, I feel physically and mentally capable of doing the job. One year of experience isn’t that much, but even this will allow me to focus more on performance than I was able to last year. I got used to a variety of circumstances which come along when you are a Formula One driver. This goes for procedures and communication inside the team, but it also includes that I found a good personal life balance with all the travelling.
My target for 2012 is to make the most of the car in every given situation and to fully establish myself in Formula One. We have made really good progress during testing and learnt a lot about the new car. Nevertheless, the track in Melbourne can still come up with surprises. Last year, for example, we would never have expected it was possible to get away with only one pit stop for the race distance because testing suggested higher tyre wear. So we will see how we manage the first Grand Prix and, although the track in Melbourne is a special one and not that representative, we will get a first indication of where we are with the C31 in terms of performance.”
Peter Sauber, Sauber team principal
“This coming season is the 20th for the Sauber F1 Team. Having said this, you might expect that the first race of a season would be routine by now. But this is by no means the case. I even have the feeling that this year the excitement is special. The winter tests left the impression that the competition could be tighter than ever before. Apparently the midfield teams have reduced the gap to the top teams.
I am really pleased with the progress we made during testing and I think we are well prepared. We have to be because we have set ourselves quite high targets for 2012. We want to score points on a regular basis and significantly improve our position in the constructors’ championship. We are well aware that this sounds very ambitious, but this is what we are working on."
John Booth, Marussia team principal
“It has been a tough time for everyone but it is situations like this that really test the mettle of a team. The early years were always going to be tough for us but I have never had any doubts about the ability of our people to ride whatever storm comes our way. It is that faith rewarded that sees us heading out to Melbourne in a rather more orderly fashion than you might expect. The journey is just a breather of course and when we get there, we will no doubt face a challenging time building up to the race.
We have not had the track time we’d hoped for with the MR01 and therefore the time it takes to iron out the teething problems that are to be expected with a new car. We take some heart from a relatively straightforward roll-out during two days of promotional running last week but we have yet to run on the Pirelli P-Zero performance tyres and really glimpse the first signs of the potential of the package. Nonetheless, we’re heading in the right direction again and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank every single member of our team, and our partners, for all their support and efforts. It is over to us now to do the best job possible in these first few races."
Timo Glock, Marussia
2011 Qualifying - 21st, 2011 Race - NC
“I couldn’t wait to try the MR01 for the first time last Monday. Even though it wasn’t in representative conditions, it has been a long wait to get my hands on a car that I’m hoping will be a good step forward from the past two seasons. It has been a frustrating winter for sure, but you have two choices and the only thing to do was to focus on everything we could be doing off-track to make sure we were as prepared as possible for when we did run the car. I’ve done a lot of work in the simulator and with the team in Banbury and in terms of my personal fitness I have been training harder than ever before.
Melbourne will be a bit of a voyage into the unknown but we have nothing to lose and I’m even more excited than usual to see how the car feels in Friday’s first free practice. Albert Park is a great track and I love going there for the first race of the season. I would rather be going there with more preparation but we will do the best we can and see where we are.”
Eric Boullier, Lotus team principal
“It looks positive. At testing you never know what people are doing but from the Lotus F1 Team perspective our drivers were happy with the car’s easiness to drive and overall performance. The E20 reacts well to driver input and engineer changes so the whole package is a decent basis for us to work from. Of course, we don’t know where we are standing relative to the other teams.
We certainly believe that this year the competition will be much closer and we hope we’re at the right end of that competition. We want to be seen and performing as one of the top teams in this highly competitive sport. For me this year will be monitored by the progress we make during the course of the season."
Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
“For the first race in Australia we want to have a good weekend without any major issues or mistakes. I don’t know where we’re going to be on the grid - nobody knows. If you look at the lap times from testing everybody is very close to each other. We don’t know what everyone was doing with fuel load and that makes a massive difference. We’ll have some idea after practice in Melbourne, then after qualifying everyone will know exactly where we are. I feel very happy with the team. We’re still learning things, but everything is going smoothly and there are no problems at all, so it’s a good position to start the season. Australia is a nice place even though it’s a long way from Europe. The circuit itself is not the most difficult on the calendar. It was good to score a point on my first time at Albert Park, and the podiums and race win in 2007 obviously made me happy. The circuit hasn’t changed at all so I’m confident I know where it goes.
“You need a car with good traction and everything from testing says that the E20 has good traction so that will help us. Strong turn-in and stable braking help too, and those areas also feel good with the car so we are well placed. The track can be a bit slippery at the beginning of the weekend and the Melbourne weather is not always very warm; the Melbourne weather can definitely be a bit tricky. This will be the first race so I don’t know how we’ll compare to the other teams. My engineers have been running simulations and looking at the test data so we have an idea of how the car should work at Albert Park, but we won’t know for sure until we get out on track. It’s very difficult to say before we’ve been out on track, but I think and hope we’ll be reasonably strong.”
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