Australian F1 Grand Prix 2019: Preview (VMM)

Australian F1 Grand Prix 2019: Preview (VMM)

Between 1985 and 鈥?5, the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide became the venue for F1鈥檚 seasonal finale. However, since moving to Melbourne in 1996, Australia has become F1鈥檚 usual curtain-raiser, and its laidback and welcoming vibe make it the perfect location once again to kick off the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. Situated in the seaside suburb of St Kilda, Albert Park is a temporary street track that invariably produces unpredictable and exciting racing. Melbourne has been a great track for you - what are the highlights? 鈥淭here are lots. My first grand prix was here way back in 2000 - it was just a buzz to be in Formula 1: 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. 鈥淎nd winning here in 2010鈥?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. What is it about Melbourne that makes it so special? 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to put your finger on it. It is a special race - you step off the plane after a long, cold European winter and it鈥檚 usually very sunny and the people are incredibly welcoming. I think the circuit is a nice challenge too - it鈥檚 not a particularly technical track, but the surface is always rubbering in across the whole race weekend, and it鈥檚 a place that encourages nip-and-tuck racing. For a street track, it鈥檚 got a really good flow, you can really find a good rhythm - and it鈥檚 got some fast corners too, which is unusual for a road course. 鈥淚 think the new rules have definitely made it a more competitive place - it鈥檚 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 startline wasn鈥檛 quite enough for overtaking - I think we鈥檒l get more benefit from a second zone. Finally, the walls around here are close enough to keep your mind focused. How confident do you feel after the winter that you鈥檙e set for a strong start to your campaign? 鈥淚鈥檓 happy with our preparations. You always want more laps and more time in the car, but, unlike last year, we鈥檝e had a very solid start to our pre-season. What does Melbourne mean to you? 鈥淢elbourne is a city that has sport running through its veins - and the crowd lives and breathes it. It鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檙e fully in control of the car.

The track has got a nice flow to it - I love the fast sweepers behind the pits, it鈥檚 awesome when you get them right - and it鈥檚 a place where, the more you can attack, the faster you go. My kind of place! After just three tests - six days each in the car - do you feel prepared? 鈥淚 actually feel more relaxed and ready for the new season than I think I鈥檝e ever done. Everything has gone smoothly with the car - which is more than we can say for last year! 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. 鈥淥f course, we haven鈥檛 tested it in competition yet, but there鈥檚 plenty to feel optimistic about. It鈥檚 a bit weird to have driven the car for a whole month and still not done a really fast lap - I guess we鈥檒l really find the limit next Saturday. Obviously, this is always the time of year when you鈥檙e feeling positive, but we鈥檝e got plenty to look forward to.

What are your hopes and aims for the Australian Grand Prix? 鈥淚t鈥檚 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鈥檙e aiming low - we鈥檙e not - but, at this time of year, it鈥檚 good to remember that it鈥檚 going to be a very long season. There鈥檚 no point putting all your eggs in one basket - I鈥檇 love to win in Melbourne, sure, but there are 19 races afterwards, so it鈥檒l be important to get some points on the board. As long as I can leave Australia feeling confident that we have a car that鈥檚 able to fight for the title, then I鈥檒l feel happy. 鈥淚鈥檝e never lost my enthusiasm, optimism or motivation for the start of each new Formula 1 season - and this year is no exception. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 an intrinsic and fascinating aspect of Formula 1: 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.