Jenson Button, McLaren
2009 Qualifying - 1st, 2009 Race - 1st
“I have some extremely pleasant memories of racing in Australia. As with most drivers on the grid, Albert Park was my first introduction to Formula One, and I really enjoyed my debut, running as high as fourth before retiring. I was on pole in 2006, although I had another non-finish. Of course, last year was a fairytale race for me - I took pole and victory, which was one of the most satisfying and emotional moments of my career. Looking ahead to this year, I think we head to the Albert Park circuit feeling more confident of our overall pace. It’s quite a contrast to Bahrain: no tight, low-speed sections and plenty of faster corners. We think the track configuration should suit our package. We learnt some very useful lessons about MP4-25 in the opening race, and the whole team is keen to put them into practice this weekend.”
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
2009 Qualifying - 13th, 2009 Race - DSQ
“I’ve always enjoyed Albert Park. I had a great race here on my Formula One debut in 2007, won the race a year later and made full use of KERS to drive through the field there last year. But, for me, the best things about the Australian Grand Prix are the people and the atmosphere. The fans in the grandstands, the people in the city and the organisation at the track are all fantastic, and it is one of the most welcoming and relaxing events of the year. I really love it. I had a great race in Bahrain: despite losing time in the opening stint, I pushed like crazy for the whole race and I’m pleased that we’ve got some decent points on the board. I’m looking forward to Melbourne. I like the circuit, I think we’ll go well there and I don’t think we’ll have the same problems that slowed our progress in Bahrain.”
Rubens Barrichello, Williams
2009 Qualifying - 2nd, 2009 Race - 2nd
“Melbourne is a great place for a Grand Prix. The racing is always competitive so it’s a good track from a fan perspective; it’s also a very social city so it’s nice to hang out there. I like Albert Park a lot. It doesn’t really feel like a street circuit, it’s very challenging and has some interesting corners to negotiate. We had some minor problems in Bahrain but we have resolved them now for Australia. I’m positive we will have a stronger race this weekend.”
Robert Kubica, Renault
2009 Qualifying - 4th, 2009 Race - 14th
“Overall, before the start of the season, I had the feeling that Melbourne would be a better circuit for us than Bahrain. Now that we have seen the other cars running and collected more information about where we stand, I think even more that it will be a good circuit for us. The circuit is very low grip at the start of the weekend, and you need good mechanical grip, braking stability and ride, so I hope we can put in a strong performance and achieve the car’s full potential.”
Nico Rosberg, Mercedes GP
2009 Qualifying - 5th, 2009 Race - 6th
“The Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne has always been a successful race for me. I have been in the points for my last three races and had my first podium finish there in 2008 when I finished third. Melbourne is a great city so I really enjoy visiting and the Albert Park street circuit is exciting. It’s quite a challenging track as the public roads are always dirty to begin with and there are a lot of bumps to negotiate. With the change in the time of the race last year, the low sun was one of the most difficult things due to the late afternoon start.”
Michael Schumacher, Mercedes GP
2009 Qualifying - n/a, 2009 Race - n/a
“Australia has always been one of the highlights on the Formula One calendar and this has never changed for me in all my years of competing. As in previous times, I arrived on the continent quite early and have spent some nice days training, adapting and relaxing in order to be fit and rested for the race weekend. I have a lot of good memories from Melbourne and most of the time, we saw interesting races there. I am very happy with the outcome of the season opener in Bahrain. Sixth position was good for me, especially considering how few times I have driven an F1 car since my retirement. I am sure that Melbourne will help me to get into the rhythm even more and I am looking forward to it.”
Fernando Alonso, Ferrari
2009 Qualifying - 10th, 2009 Race - 5th
“The one-two win in Sakhir gave us confidence and was a great result, but we can’t take anything for granted. We have to keep our feet on the ground, keep calm and stay concentrated. In Melbourne we’re starting from square one. Nothing has changed for me - there are four teams and eight drivers who can fight for victory and we have to give it our all to stay ahead of everybody else. I like the Albert Park track. It’s quite a technical circuit with some pretty interesting corners. Overtaking has never been easy and what is even more important now, like on all city circuits, is the result in the qualifying. We have to see how the tyres behave with different fuel loads and temperatures, which will be different from the ones we had during testing and in Bahrain. The weekend in Melbourne is one of my preferred ones for the atmosphere at the paddock and in the city. It’s really special and it seems that everybody is following the event. Let’s hope we can provide a good show for our fans.”
Timo Glock, Virgin
2009 Qualifying - DSQ, 2009 Race - 4th
“Australia is usually a good race. It’s a great city and I look forward to it every year. It’s one of the best weekends on the Formula One calendar. The track itself is a street course, very different from a race track, and quite special. I got a bird’s-eye view of it on Wednesday when I flew over the track in a heli - a bit of fun and a great way to recce the track layout. It’s a fantastic circuit and I’m hoping it will bring us good luck. We had a tough time in Bahrain but there were some positives too. We learnt some good lessons which can only make us stronger. The main target is to do everything we can to ensure reliability doesn’t stop us from making it to the flag. Hopefully we’ll get another strong qualy in the bag too.”
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