FORMULA 1 - 2012

[MIKA27]

I'm sitting in my office right now and can hear the cars for practice 2!

Also watching the live feed from:

http://tensport.com....e-streaming.htm

Can't wait for the weekend!!

They're all going wide off the track. Both Maldonado and Kobayashi having problems in the wet.

[mikec]

They're all going wide off the track. Both Maldonado and Kobayashi having problems in the wet.

Darn we wont see the cars at full speed in Practice 2 but it looks like a wet weekend anyway. Cant wait for the flag to fall.

[mikec]

Well that didn't really tell us too much due to weather conditions but you have to start thinking that Merecedes and McLaren are looking pretty good. Seems they have built up the W03 right to Michael's liking and hopefully this won't hinder Rosbergs charge to a first win. The longer wheelbase seems to compliment Schumis driving style for sure. I sense that Red Bull aren't too happy with the balnce of their cars so look for surprises this weekend. Too bad Kimi didn't get too many laps in but that wont slow him down once they get the steering fixed for him. Can't wait until qualifying gets going tonight and find out who the pretenders are (Forcr India?).

[winelover]

Really looking forward to the start. So many possible outcomes especially with 6 champions on the grid and the jury still out on whose car is best.

Thanks for all your efforts Mika.

G

[winelover]

Go McLaren! Great to see Mercedes and Schumi ahead of Redbull too.

[MIKA27]

Hamilton hails 'incredible feeling'

Lewis Hamilton was relishing his return to the front of the pack in qualifying, hailing McLaren's tenacious efforts for his Australian P1.

After a difficult 2011 in which Red Bull ruled Saturday afternoons and McLaren netted just one pole position when Hamilton edged Vettel in Korea, the Brit and his team were back at the front in Melbourne.

In what could be seen as a turning of the tide - and which McLaren are dearly hoping is - Hamilton proved to be the man to beat over one flying lap.

Posting a 1:24.922, the 27-year-old beat his team-mate Jenson Button by 0.152s while Lotus' Romain Grosjean was third.

"It is an incredible feeling from back here, and to get such a good start, this is my and Jenson's my first 1-2 in qualifying," Hamilton said.

"It is fantastic to start the season this way. I am massively proud of team working hard as they always do, to see this result is great.

"Tomorrow is the most important day and we have a lot to look forward to. A tremendous job by the team to get us to this point. They had a tough couple of years but never gave up."

As for qualifying, which saw the McLaren driver heading into the pits while holding onto the P1 slot after making a mistake, Hamilton said: "My first lap in Q3 felt pretty special.

"At the end of it, I felt it'd be surprising if anyone could push ahead of that. I tried even harder on my final run, but braked a little too late into the first corner and spoiled the lap.

"After that, I was just hoping that nobody would go any quicker.

"I just love qualifying, especially when you get the lap just right; when it all flows, the tyres work and you hit the sweet-spot everywhere."

He added: "It's like heaven."

But while Saturday may have been a time for smiles, Hamilton admits there is still a lot of work to be done ahead of Sunday's 58-lap grand prix as it won't be an easy ride for the Woking team.

"Today we showed that we not only have the most beautiful car in Formula 1, but also the fastest!

"Of course, there's still a long way to go tomorrow - looking after the tyres will be key - but we're in the best possible position to have a strong race."

[MIKA27]

Schumi 'certainly happy' with fourth

Although happy with his improved showing in qualifying, Michael Schumacher admits the job is not yet over at Mercedes.

Armed with his controversy rear-wing design, Schumacher had a difficult start to the day as, despite showing pace, he beached his W03 six minutes before the end of FP3 after sliding off the track.

The German, though, put that behind him to focus on qualifying where he put in a 1:25.336 around the Albert Park street circuit.

That put the seven-time World Champion fourth on the grid, ahead of both Red Bull drivers and his own Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.

"The first qualifying session of the year proved to be as tight a competition as we had all hoped for," said Schumacher.

"I am certainly happy with our performance which is a huge step forward, considering where we were in qualifying here last year.

"I can only thank the guys for all of the hard work that they have achieved over the winter.

"I also think it is important to stress that Mercedes-Benz have always believed in and supported this project, and I really hope we can deliver the results we all want.

"We have to take this step-by-step as the competition is very tight, so now we have to continue to work hard."

[MIKA27]

Ferrari: Obviously not quick enough

Although Ferrari by no means arrived in Melbourne full of confidence, qualifying on Saturday proved to be worse than even they had expected.

Double World Champion Fernando Alonso spun off into a gravel trap early in Q2 and will start Sunday's season-opening race grand prix from 12th on the grid.

His team-mate Felipe Massa, who struggled to make it into the second segment, fared even worse as he qualified P16.

"We are obviously not quick enough, not competitive to fight for the top places at the moment," Alonso said Saturday.

"It's maybe something we expected after winter testing. We had some idea and today we confirm we're not competitive."

The Spaniard said the team had no choice but to work overtime in a bid to improve the car.

"The target maybe was to start the championship with a competitive car able to win races," Alonso said. "This was the message all winter and the second part of last year.

"We didn't arrive at that target. We arrived in Australia without a winning car and we need to arrive with a winning car as soon as possible in the next couple of grands prix."

Team principal Stefano Domenicali said "it hurts" to have both drivers outside the top, yet pleaded for patience from Ferrari's demanding fan base, if not company management back in Italy.

"I understand that at the moment, our fans are disappointed, but I would urge them to be cautious before making any definitive judgement, as if everything was already over," Domenicali said.

"The season is going to be very long, just as tomorrow's race will be long and hard."

The immediate goal for Melbourne is merely to finish in the top ten.

"Points would be the first priority and the second priority is top-five," Alonso said.

The Spaniard gestured angrily at a race marshall as he emerged from his car after spinning into the gravel trap.

Back in the pits, his team believed the trackside officials could have pushed the car out of the trap had they acted more quickly.

"He had managed to keep the engine on waiting for the marshalls, who did nothing," Ferrari tweeted soon after the incident.

Alonso acknowledged his own driving error, saying he appeared to have hit the grass at the side of the track before losing control.

"I touched the grass. I didn't realize when I was driving, but when I looked at the TV, the left tires were on the grass," he said. "I spun the tires there and qualifying finished unfortunately in the gravel.

"I don't know what my position would have been without the incident, maybe it was possible to go into (number) three. Maybe not because the times were very close."

Still, Alonso was philosophical about his premature end to qualifying.

"If I go into (third position) I have no new tires for tomorrow, so maybe at the end of the day it's a good compromise to be 12th with new tires."

Massa said the team, if anything, had gone backwards since a preseason testing program that was bad enough to have the team publicly admitting its uncompetitiveness heading into the new campaign.

"I don't know why, but the car seemed to be worse than in winter testing, maybe down to the characteristics of this circuit," Massa said.

"Clearly we are behind, maybe more than we had expected and there are other teams that have improved a lot compared to last year."

[MIKA27]

HRT won't race in Australia

For the second year running HRT will not contest the Australian GP after both cars failed to qualify and the stewards refused to grant an exemption.

In what proved to be a disappointing Saturday for the backmarker outfit, neither Pedro de la Rosa nor Narain Karthikeyan were able to post a lap within the 107 percent qualifying rule.

As such their fate was left in the hands of the Melbourne stewards.

They, however, ruled against granting the team an exemption.

"The stewards having considered all relevant material decide not to allow both cars to take part in the race in accordance with Article 36.1 FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations," said a statement from the stewards.

This is the second successive season in which HRT have missed the Australian Grand Prix.

MIKA: This may sound harsh but I'm glad they are not in the grand prix. HRT shouldn't be in F1 (IMO) they are wayyy behind the grid each race and this is the pinnacle of motorsport.

Narain held up the field during qualifying also which was pathetic rather than pulling over to the side. I know it's hard when you're trying to qualify but if you're so slow on track, then HRT shouldn't be allowed to race let alone be in F1.

[Schumi5]

Didn't expect my beloved Scuderia to be at the top this weekend but certainly did not expect them to be this far off the pace. Massa's departure from Ferrari is long overdue. He simply cannot generate the necessary pace to even be close to Alonso and he is so prone to mistakes. Time for him to move on. Enjoying seeing Schumi continue to move further up the grid. His starting prowess is legendary and he will be one to watch starting from 4 with a rookie on his side. Wouldn't be surprised to see him win the late-brake battle into the first corner and pass at least one of the McLarens. Wonderful to have F1 back but got to say as a whole this year has produced some of the ugliest cars in recent memory! Hoping for a good race.

[MIKA27]

BRAGGING RIGHTS AT MCLAREN GO TO BUTTON AFTER DRAMATIC SEASON OPENER:

Jenson Button won an dramatic Australian Grand Prix ahead of Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel, with Lewis Hamilton dropping from pole position to third at the flag. Hamilton was disconsolate afterwards, while Button was delighted having won the bragging rights within the team at the outset of the season.It was Button’s 13th career victory and his third here in Melbourne and it was all done at the first corner, where he dived down the inside of Hamilton to take the lead. He managed to survive a late safety car, which cut his 10 second lead to nothing, while Vettel and Red Bull took the opportunity to pit for the second stop and rejoin ahead of Hamilton.

Vettel was more than satisfied with the result, after a difficult weekend in which the revised version of the Red Bull had proved tricky to handle and vulnerable on the straights.

Mercedes’s race pace was disappointing, while Ferrari’s was better than expected, at least in the hands of Fernando Alonso, who finished fifth behind Mark Webber, whose fourth is the best ever result for an Australian in his home Grand Prix.

Meanwhile there was heartbreak for Pastor Maldonado, who was running sixth half a lap from scoring Williams’ best result in two years when he crashed into a wall. This provoked a reshuffle of the order behind, with Kamui Kobayashi jumping up to sixth place from ninth on the final lap.

Button made a clean start to pass Lewis Hamilton into turn one and controlled the race from then on, setting the fastest lap in the process. Both Romain Grosjean, who qualified a brilliant third and Mark Webber made slow getaways, allowing the Mercedes’ of Michael Schumacher and a fast starting Nico Rosberg to fill in behind the McLarens. There was trouble in the midfield as Daniel Ricciardo and Bruno Senna came together, resulting in the Brazilian spinning at the first corner. Nico Hulkenberg was the first retirement of the race, quickly followed by Romain Grosjean who had his suspension broke by the Williams of Pastor Maldonado as the Venezuelan lunged up the inside at Turn 13.

As the two McLarens pulled away Vettel made a great move on Nico Rosberg and set off in pursuit of Schumacher who ran wide at Turn One and promptly retired at the end of Lap 11 with a gearbox problem.

After the first set of pitstops Hamilton dropped back in behind Kimi Raikkonen and Sergio Perez, who was the only driver in the top ten to one-stop today. This slowed Hamilton down, allowing Vettel to close the gap to second. Alonso made a good start and began to pursue the podium places as Ferrari’s race pace proved to be much more promising than their qualifying times. However, the same could not be said for Felipe Massa who spent much of the race battling with Kamui Kobayashi and Kimi Raikkonen and the Brazilian’s race finally came to an end following a collision with his compatriot Bruno Senna. Senna had a difficult weekend compared to his team mate, with Maldonado qualifying 8th and putting in a very impressive performance and proving a threat to Alonso, Webber and Rosberg before a heavy crash on the final lap ruled him out of his highest Formula One finish to date.

Button was able to hold a ten second lead over Hamilton, despite vibration from his second set of tyres. The race was order was looking stable until, during the second pitstop phase of the Grand Prix, the Caterham of Vitaly Petrov stopped on the inside of the pit straight resulting in a Safety Car. Fortunately for Vettel he was close to the pits and reacted quicly to make his stop and return to the track ahead of Hamilton, who had come in with Button just before the Safety Car was deployed.

At the restart Button quickly opened up a three second gap over Vettel on the first lap and left his pursuers in his wake. Webber had also gained a position over Alonso during the Safety Car period and the Australian made the battle for second into a three-way race. Alonso spent the remainder of the race holding off Maldonado for fifth position, which ended successfully following the Williams drivers lack of concentration on the final lap. This pushed Kobayashi, Raikkonen and Perez up into 6th, 7th and 8th respectively.

Further back there was a tremendous scrap for the last points as Rosberg dropped back on the final lap, slowing down Jean-Eric Vergne in the process which allowed his Toro Rosso team-mate and the Force India of Paul Di Resta to grab the final points.

Further back Marussia’s Timo Glock was 14th, the former Virgin team’s best result in F1 to date in a car which had not tested before the first race.

[MIKA27]

Hamilton: It was a shocking start

Lewis Hamilton has lamented his poor start at the Australian Grand Prix after he could only manage a P3 in the season-opening race.The McLaren driver was on pole position, but he found himself P2 at the first corner after team-mate Jenson Button was quicker out of the blocks.

He never recovered and to add insult to injury, he slipped to third place behind Sebastian Vettel after McLaren pitted him just before the deployment of the Safety Car on lap 39.

Hamilton, though, knows his problems were down to his slow start and admits he's yet to find out why he couldn't make a clean getaway.

"It was a shocking start. I'm not sure what happened. I let out the clutch and got a lot of wheel spin. That followed all way through the launch phase. We lost a lot of ground from there," he said.

"It was impossible to overtake so I focused on keeping my spot and the Safety Car didn't help us. [Were you in the wrong place at the wrong time?] I'm often like that. It's still a great job by Jenson. Clearly we're very quick so we go forward to the next race in good shape."

MIKA: Could it have been the fresh paint that marks the START Grid which is exactly where pole position is situated?

[MIKA27]

Schumacher: An unfortunate end

Michael Schumacher's Australian GP came to a disappointing end 10 laps into the race when a gearbox problem forced him to retire while in third place.Starting fourth on the grid, much was expected from Schumacher and his W03. However, it was not to be.

Holding off Sebastian Vettel, the seven-time World Champ seemed to run into trouble, veering onto the grass before limping back to the pits where he retired in pit lane.

Explaining his retirement, the German said: "It was an unfortunate end to my race when I lost drive going into Turn One.

"I was trying different gears and occasionally the drive came back, but in the end, I had to go onto the grass to avoid the risk of the car being forced into a spin.

"It was especially unfortunate as we have not had this problem during the winter tests and were very reliable.

"This is why I am not concerned, as I know things like this happen in racing, and our reliability is not in question."

He added: "I believe I could have had a good race this afternoon, and I can still take some positives out of the weekend as we have seen our car was confirming our feelings, and is definitely a clear step forward.

"We can now build on that and start improving further."

Schumacher's woes, though, were not the only ones to befall the Mercedes team on Sunday.

His team-mate Nico Rosberg had been running as high as fourth place before dropping down the order while a clash with Sergio Perez caused a puncture and dropped him outside the points.

"I had a perfect start today and was able to gain three positions, however unfortunately we weren't able to maintain that pace, and the race did not turn out as we had hoped.

"The end was particularly unfortunate with Perez when we touched on the straight, causing a puncture which took away a points scoring finish.

"We have a lot of work to do to understand what went wrong, and how we can use the full potential which our car definitely shows.

"I'm still positive as Malaysia is a completely different track so I'm looking ahead to next weekend now."

[MIKA27]

Kimi: Feels like I've never been away

Kimi Raikkonen admits he is happy to have come away with some points in the Australian GP after a "far from ideal" weekend for Lotus.After "a mistake and a communication issue" with his team saw him qualify P17 on Saturday, the Finn encountered further problems at the start in Melbourne and slipped further down the grid.

However, he fought his way through the pack and managed to finish in seventh position, which is not bad when you consider he has been out of Formula One for two years.

Although he believes Lotus had the potential to finish higher, Raikkonen feels there are plenty of positives to take away from the race.

"It feels like I've never been away. Yesterday we made some mistakes which cost us quite badly so it could easily have been better in the race," he said.

"I made a good start but then there was an accident in front of me at the first turn, so we lost a few places there as I had to almost stop and move onto the grass to avoid it.

"That made the race harder again as we had the speed, but a lot of traffic to get through. When you look at all these things we could have finished in a much better position.

"We had the safety car which I think actually hurt us a bit as well. Overall the weekend was far from ideal, but the car feels good and to come back to 7th means we at least come away with some points."

It was a frustrating day for Raikkonen's team-mate Romain Grosjean after he crashed out after only a few laps.

He started a career-best P3 on the grid, but made contact with Williams' Pastor Maldonado and was forced to retire.

"I think we could have achieved a great result today," he said.

"It's frustrating as I really wanted to make the chequered flag and even the podium, but on the positive side the car is performing very well.

"I was keeping pace with the guys in front of me and everything was looking good. My start wasn't great so we'll need to have a look at the data. Then of course there was the collision with Pastor.

"From what I saw he braked far too late and hit my right front wheel which broke the steering and that was it; my race was over. The team deserved better because they have been working very hard, but by tomorrow morning it will all be a memory. We'll move on to Malaysia now which is one of my favourite circuits and focus on getting a result there."

[MIKA27]

Heikki: Penalty a 'bit harsh'

Heikki Kovalainen believes the penalty he received from the stewards after the Australian Grand Prix was a "bit harsh".The Finn was handed a five-place grid penalty for the Malaysian GP after stewards found him guilty of passing other cars before the first Safety Car line.

Kovalainen passed two cars as he made his way to the pits while the Safety Car was out on Sunday and he was slapped with a post-race penalty.

The Caterham driver accepted the punishment, but nevertheless feels it was "harsh".

"Tough day today, never mind one of those races that happen sometimes, bit harsh penalty from stewards for the next race but that's life too!" he wrote on Twitter.

Kovalainen was forced to retire 20 laps from the end with a suspension problem, but he is confident the team will iron out the issues before next weekend's Malaysian GP.

"I felt the car starting to pull left under braking so we brought the car in to take a look and it seems like a front left suspension problem was causing the handling imbalance I'd felt for a few laps before we had to retire," he said.

"I'm sure we can fix both problems for next week and we have shown today what a step forward we've taken, so it's not bad news, it's just one of those days."

MIKA: I think penalties are not always 'Uniform' as per the book but rather comes down to the Seward and in this instance Johnny (Sherbert) Herbert who is well known to be a grouchy character....

[MIKA27]

Alonso: Pretty good considering qualy

Fernando Alonso surprised even himself on Sunday by finishing fifth in Australia but still wants an upgraded Ferrari car as soon as possible.From 12th on the grid, he produced one of the drives of the day, but he said it brought relief to finish behind the two McLarens and two Red Bulls rather than satisfaction.

"It was a tough race for us and we knew that before the start," he said.

"We had some good battles, we had a good start so we recovered some positions, and after yesterday's qualifying, to be fifth behind the two McLarens and two Red Bulls is a pretty good result in terms of points.

"But the priority is to improve the car. We were too far (behind) yesterday and we were fighting with Williams at the end of the race. We'd prefer to fight at the top and this is our goal for the next race."

He added that the team would not be able to make any significant improvements ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix and would have to wait until the third race in China to start to close the gap to the front.

"The cars will be nearly identical [in Malaysia] because it is next weekend," he said.

"But we will try to improve something in the set-up to adapt the car for that circuit and then I'm sure for China and Bahrain we will have some updates.

"It'll be the same for the others, but hopefully ours will work a little bit better."

He added: "We are a little bit too slow at the moment. We need to change the direction quickly if we are to challenge for the Championship. We have to react."

[MIKA27]

An eventful Sunday for Perez

Sergio Perez concedes he had a "tough" grand prix in Australian that included not one but three incidents.The Sauber driver started the race at the back of the grid after incurring a five grid-slot penalty for changing his gearbox after qualifying.

And working his way up through the field proved to be easier said than done especially after his first incident, which was with his own team-mate Kamui Kobayashi, resulted in a broken front wing.

That, though, was not the only moment for the Mexican driver.

He also collided with Pastor Maldonado and Nico Rosberg in the latter stages, which dropped him down to eighth place.

"After I had to start last on the grid because of changing the gear box I knew I had to try everything to gain positions right after the start," he said.

"I managed to get into 12th behind Kamui and touched his car while he had to avoid crashing into the Williams car in front of him. My front wing was then damaged and this was only one of the difficulties I had today during the race.

"I also had to save tyres, also for some time fuel, and I had to fight to defend my position. It really was a tough race for me.

"Then on the very last lap Pastor (Maldonado) crashed and I backed off because of the debris. But then Nico (Rosberg) overtook me, our cars touched and I had to finish the race with tyres that were completely gone.

Of course I'm not happy to have lost my position on the final lap, but I am very happy for the team because finishing sixth and eight is a good start to the season."

[MIKA27]

Vettel: Button was unbeatable

Sebastian Vettel says he was happy to come away with second in the Australian GP after a disappointing qualifying for Red Bull Racing.Having dominated Saturday afternoons for most of last season, Vettel found himself down in sixth place on the Melbourne starting grid alongside his team-mate Mark Webber.

However, the defending World Champ seemed to have better race-pace in Sunday's 58-lap grand prix and worked his way up to second place.

And although he finished just two seconds behind race winner Jenson Button, Vettel reckons there was no chance of him beating the McLaren driver who at one stage held a lead of over 12 seconds.

"Congratulations to McLaren and Jenson, he drove a fantastic race," Vettel said in the post-race press conference.

"He was unbeatable today, but I am happy to come away with second place. A lot of people did not expect it after yesterday.

"It was a positive race, one we knew would be difficult. So, to finish second with a lot of points is important."

He added: "The car has a lot of potential. I would have loved to be in a better position yesterday (in qualifying).

"Now we need to address problems and make sure that we give them a harder time next week."

[MIKA27]

Webber: Battle on with McLaren

Only 58 laps into the season and Mark Webber reckons the markers have already been laid down with a battle raging between Red Bull and McLaren.The two teams, who finished first and second last season, held those positions again in Sunday's Australian Grand Prix as Sebastian Vettel fought Jenson Button for the victory and Webber tussled with Lewis Hamilton for the final podium place.

And although the Red Bull drivers both lost out in their individual battles, Webber foresees more Red Bull, McLaren tussles as the season progresses.

"We've (only) done one race but it looks as if both teams are pretty well organised," the Australian told Sky Sports F1.

"We executed pretty clean races from both sides - obviously the drivers are very experienced at getting the cars home as well.

"McLaren had track position from qualy and we had a bit of catching up to do.

"In the end we all bunched up after the Safety Car and pretty much followed each other home.

"Let's see how next week goes, it's very early days but the impression is that we seem to be in a battle."

As for Sunday's 58-lap Australian GP, Webber finished in fourth place after recovering from a sluggish start.

"(I was) very happy after the first lap, I need to see if I did anything wrong on the start and check the software side of things.

"(Nico) Rosberg got an unbelievable start and passed Seb as well, a few guys made some good starts and we had to regroup from there. I am very satisfied with my driving from then on."

[MIKA27]

Sauber overjoyed with 'fantastic' start to '12

Sauber may have suffered from a poor qualifying performance, but they made up for Saturday's woes with 12 championship points with both cars in the top ten.Team principal Peter Sauber hailed the result 'fantastic', particularly praising Sergio Pérez who started from last after a gearbox change demoted him five places on the grid.

"Both drivers delivered a fantastic race, especially Sergio, starting from last and finishing eighth," he said.

"However, this is only possible with a fast car. I’m very happy that we were able to fight back after a difficult qualifying. A big thank you to the team at the track and also the people back in Hinwil for designing a great car. We went into this season with high expectations and were able to deliver today."

Meanwhile Pérez was pleased with his result, which contributed to Sauber sitting third in the Constructors' championship behind McLaren and Red Bull, but lamented losing a place to Nico Rosberg on the final lap after he backed off following Pastor Maldonado's accident.

"After I had to start last on the grid because of changing the gearbox I knew I had to try everything to gain positions right after the start," said the Mexican. "I managed to get into 12th behind Kamui and touched his car while he had to avoid crashing into the Williams car in front of him. My front wing was then damaged and this was only one of the difficulties I had today during the race. I also had to save tyres, also for some time fuel, and I had to fight to defend my position.

"It really was a tough race for me. Then on the very last lap Pastor (Maldonado) crashed and I backed off because of the debris. But then Nico (Rosberg) overtook me, our cars touched and I had to finish the race with tyres that were completely gone. Of course I’m not happy to have lost my position on the final lap, but I am very happy for the team because finishing sixth and eight is a good start to the season."

[MIKA27]

Massa and Senna agree that no blame can be apportioned for late collision

Felipe Massa and Bruno Senna agreed that their collision late in the Australian Grand Prix was a racing incident in which no blame should be apportioned.The two Brazilians were fighting for 13th with Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo when they touched at Turn 3 on lap 47, leaving the Ferrari with broken suspension and giving the Williams a puncture.

"I did the corner in front, but Bruno had a good turn in because I was fighting with the other car, and he was able to take the line because there was a car on my side," said Massa.

"Then we both did the corner to the left, and he was on the outside and I was completely on the inside. I turned, even a little bit early because I didn't know if he was trying to pass me from the outside. Then he turned in a little bit too much and we touched each other.

"For me it was something that can happen in a race. From my side, there was nothing wrong because I was on the inside. From his side, it was the end of the race and he was trying to fight for the position, so you cannot say he did something completely wrong."

Senna agreed that there was no malice in the tangle.

"Ricciardo had the bad luck that I'd had previously, because when I tried to overtake Felipe on the outside into Turn 13, he pushed me wide, and then Danny passed me," he said. "Then Danny tried to do the same to Felipe on Turn 3, and both of them ran wide and I had a good run on them.

"I tried to overtake Felipe on the outside at Turn 4. That didn't work unfortunately, but it was a racing incident.

"You are fighting for every millimetre of the track and probably if I was a bit slower on the outside we would have probably just touched wheels and it would have been fine, but I was a bit faster and his front wing got in touch with my front tyre and that was that."

Massa was running down the order after having difficulty maintaining tyre life throughout the race.

"I was very positive for the race, but then after five laps the rear tyres were completely going. I had no tyres, I was just sliding around at every corner and none of the other cars were losing tyres, just me," he said.

"I was failing completely with the balance of the car, not just talking about the race, but every day, the whole weekend. We need to understand why."

Senna and Ricciardo were also recovering from delays, having come together in the first-corner traffic jam.

"I've spent a long time now looking at the video and I can see that everybody was clashing together there," said Senna of the lap one clash.

"I saw some cars moving and that's why I went to the outside to get a bit more room, and then of course Danny had a problem with hitting someone and then he touched me."

[MIKA27]

Maldonado says he had accepted finishing behind Alonso before crash

Pastor Maldonado says his last lap crash at Melbourne was not a consequence of trying to harry Fernando Alonso and capture fifth.The Venezuelan driver had been set for his best grand prix finish when, on his final tour of the circuit, he lost the rear on the exit of Turn 6 and crashed heavily into the barriers.

Maldonado said it had been a simple racing incident, and denied that it came as a result of trying to close on Alonso and steal fifth.

"It was a very fast moment, but I just lost the back of the car and hit the wall - that's it," he said.

"I had already accepted [finishing behind Alonso] because I tried to pass into Turn 3 and it didn't work. I think Alonso was slowing down, his pace was not so strong, so maybe I got too close to him and that's why I lost the back.

"It wasn't a concentration thing – I was concentrating and pushing as normal, looking after the tyres and the settings. I was enjoying the fight, but maybe I just got too close.

"[After the accident] I said nothing on the radio, I was so angry. We are a bit disappointed, but that's racing."

Maldonado also shrugged off his earlier clash with Romain Grosjean on lap two, which sent the Frenchman to an early retirement.

"With Grosjean, I just tried to overtake him, did it and he went wide," Maldonado reported.

"It was a clean one. There was very little contact – very little, not enough to put him out."

MIKA: One of my favourite drivers on the weekend was Maldonado. It was a shame he crashed so close to scoring points but hopefully he will learn. Quite often he was really getting close to shunting into the walls by way of turning into the corners so closely so I am not surprised he eventually crashed. A great driver though.

[MIKA27]

Grosjean takes positives from Australia display despite early exit

Romain Grosjean remained upbeat despite his early exit from the Australian Grand Prix, as he believes Lotus proved it will be a major force in the 2012 Formula 1 season.The reigning GP2 champion qualified a superb third for his return to F1 racing, but lost three positions with a slow start and then retired following a second-lap clash with Williams driver Pastor Maldonado.

But Grosjean said his frustration at the incident was lessened because he felt so confident about the rest of the season on the basis of Lotus's Melbourne form.

"The race was quite brief, but I think we have to take the positives from it," he said.

"I was easily following the guy in front of me at the beginning. The car is good and feels as we need to have it.

"I'm sure there's more to come and the good thing is that the team atmosphere is great and we're all working together. I'm sure we can achieve some great things this year."

Grosjean felt Maldonado was entirely to blame for their collision.

"He just arrived too quick and couldn't turn his car," said the Lotus driver. "There were yellow flags in Turn 12, and we all slowed down, and I don't think he did. That gave him the advantage a bit and he was really fast at the end of the straight.

"He tried to take me down the inside, but I'd already braked quite late. He came, I turned and I was not going to go straight into the gravel to give him space, and he couldn't turn his car before hitting me and it broke my front suspension and that was it."

[MIKA27]

Hulkenberg aims to bounce back at Sepang after retiring from Australian GP

Nico Hulkenberg has vowed to quickly put behind him the disappointment of retiring from the Australian Grand Prix on the first lap for the second time in his career.The Force India driver has never made the second lap of the Albert Park race having been involved in contact at Turn 1 in both the 2010 and 2012 events.

On this occasion his left rear tyre was struck by Mark Webber's Red Bull, who himself had been hit from behind.

"I don't seem to have much luck at Albert Park," said Hulkenberg. "I'm still not really sure what happened, but I got hit when I turned into the first corner on lap one.

"It's such a shame because I had made a great start, moved up a couple of positions and then I just felt somebody tap me from behind. There was a puncture and the suspension was damaged so my race was over and I had to park up.

"These things happen when 22 cars are battling going into a tight first corner, but it's really frustrating to miss out after such a good qualifying session. The good thing is that I will be back in the car in five days' time, which is the best way to bounce back and get over the disappointment."

Team-mate Paul di Resta salvaged a point from a race he admitted he had struggled to get his car to compete in the midfield pack.

"It's always nice to start the season with a point, but it was not looking too promising until the last few laps when my engineer told me that I was catching the cars ahead of me," he said. "Fortunately I had saved quite a bit of KERS for the last corner, which helped me get a good run on Vergne and beat him to the line for tenth.

"It's clear we have a lot of work to do because we were struggling for pace at the start of each stint, which hurt my overall race pace."

[MIKA27]

Daniel Ricciardo says Toro Rosso capable of much more than it could show in Australian Grand Prix

Daniel Ricciardo believes he was capable of finishing higher than ninth despite only gaining the position on a 'crazy' final lap of the Australian Grand Prix.The Australian started his final tour of Melbourne Park in 11th, directly behind Toro Rosso stablemate Jean-Eric Vergne and towards the back of a multi-car squabble for the lower order points.

When Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) and Sergio Perez (Sauber) clashed, Ricciardo pounced, picking off Vergne on the exit of Turn 13 and benefiting from Rosberg's puncture to seal ninth in a 'crazy' end to the grand prix.

Ricciardo reckons however that his race had previously been affected by damage suffered at the start - without which he could have finished even higher up the order.

"It's good to finish ninth, but I think I could have done better," the Australian said. "I made a decent start but there were too many of us there. I hit the left front quite hard against a Williams and had to come in to change the nose. I had to race with a bit of damage after that.

"It was not easy to come back, but I never gave up, pushing all the time. I don't really know how that happened on the last lap.

"I was a bit lucky to be the last one in that group because I could have a clear picture of the other cars going off in front.

"Then I had a chance to attack Jean-Eric. He defended into Turn 13 and I thought I could make the switch back and I did, which put me in P9. The last few laps were crazy and I was pushing like hell.

"I'm extremely happy and it's great to score my first F1 points here at home in Australia, where the crowd has been just fantastic all weekend long."

Vergne also said his race had been complicated by the first lap melee, adding: "I got a super start and I had moved up a few places, but then Webber touched my right rear and I went straight on, losing a lot of time. After that, it was complicated as I was stuck behind cars I could not pass, even if they were considerably slower than me.

"It's just a shame that at the end I tried too hard and lost too much ground. That's racing.

"The car seems to be working well and we were competitive all weekend, so I'm looking forward to getting back on track in Malaysia in a few days."