Synopsis
The AT&T Williams team had a positive start to the 2009 season, demonstrating both pace and reliability from the start of the first practice session, but the anticipated nature of the race at Albert Park, which features frequent safety car intervals, meant that the race was unlikely to follow a strict form guide. In the event, Kazuki Nakajima succumbed to an accident on lap 17, while Nico Rosberg, despite recording the fastest lap of the day, had an extremely eventful race, crossing the line in P6. He was later promoted to P5 after the Stewards imposed a 25s penalty on Jarno Trulli1. Toyota were not alone in being penalised after the race, with Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel incurring a fine and collecting a ten place grid penalty which he will serve at next weekend’s Malaysian GP.
Sam Michael, Technical Director:
Practice
Q: What caused Kazuki’s puncture in P1, and did it cause any other damage to the car?
Sam Michael: A valve cap came off, and yes, it did damage a brake duct, but that was repaired immediately after the session.
Q How much did the track improve during the course of Friday?
Sam Michael: The track came to the drivers a lot during P1, but during the cooling temperatures in P2, conditions were actually a bit slower.
Q How surprised were you to be quickest in all three practice sessions?
Sam Michael: Very! That said, we didn’t make the assumption that this performance would necessarily convert into qualifying.
Qualifying
Q What changes did you make to each of the cars between Q1 and Q2?
Sam Michael: Not an awful lot, just a degree of tuning of front wing angle and of course managing the tyre pressures.
Q How much time did Kazuki lose at the final corner on his last lap of Q2?
Sam Michael: It cost him 0.3secs
Race
Q Were you tempted to start the race with the super soft rubber on either car?
Sam Michael: No. Albeit safety cars are a common factor in Melbourne, it is not something you can rely on and
without a safety car, it would have been a disaster strategy.
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