FORMULA 1 - 2015

[MIKA27]

Daniel Ricciardo already onto second F1 engine

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo is already onto the second of his four Renault engines for the 2015 Formula 1 season after a problem in Australian Grand Prix practice.

AUTOSPORT understands that the V6 that failed in Ricciardo's car in Melbourne on Friday cannot be repaired for re-use.

The number of engines a driver can use before receiving a penalty has been reduced from five to four this season.

"We had some issues this morning so just didn't get enough time to get everything sorted for P2," Ricciardo explained.

"Instead of rushing it, it was a case of fix it properly and get back out there tomorrow.

"It's pretty complex, with the ICE [internal combustion engine], but there's some stuff going on there which we need to fix for tomorrow."

Ricciardo said the loss of Friday running was frustrating but not a large setback.

"The whole week has been a bit of a tease, we've talked about racing a lot but haven't done much of it and today was my chance to do a few more laps," he said.

"I'm more and more anxious to drive. I've got ants in my pants so it's just a bit more frustrating.

"It helps having two cars on track rather than one but we will pick ourselves up and do what we can.

"It's a small setback but I think we can still get our stuff together tomorrow morning in free practice three."

Red Bull was only 10th and 11th in first practice with Ricciardo and team-mate Daniil Kvyat, with the Russian then taking sixth in practice two.

[MIKA27]

MELBOURNE QUALIFYING: HAMILTON SUPREME AS MERCEDES DOMINATE

Reigning Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton fired the first salvo in his title defence with an supreme performance in qualifying, for the season opening Australian Grand Prix, claiming pole position by an emphatic half a second over his teammate Nico Rosberg as Mercedes obliterated the field in Melbourne.

In fact Hamilton did enough with his first run to claim top spot 0n the grid as Rosberg made a mistake on his first hot lap, and when the German re-emerged for a second stab he fell short. Hamilton then went a tenth quicker on his final flyer to set a best time of 1:26.327 which was 0.594 of a second up on his Silver Arrows teammate and a whopping 1.391 seconds up on best of the rest Felipe Massa in the Williams – making it three Mercedes powered cars in the top three.

Next up and looking game for a a fight were the Ferrari duo with Sebastian Vettel fourth fastest and Kimi Raikkonen fifth best.

Valtteri Bottas will start from sixth after he duffed the exit of the final turn on his flying lap, his Williams clipping the sand on the exit and slithering viciously as he stepped on the loud pedal too early with the finish line in sight.

Local hero Daniel Ricciardo dug deep to set the seventh best time in the wake of a problem packed weekend for the Red Bull team, which saw his new teammate Daniil Kvyat fail to make it beyond Q2 with the 13th best time -the pair struggling with the power delivery of the Renault power unit.

Toro Rosso rookies have fared impressively in their debuts thus far, but it was Carlos Sainz who rose to the occasion and in his first qualifying got through to Q3 and will start his first grand prix eighth on the grid.

Teammate Max Verstappen, the youngest ever F1 driver, had a big moment on his hot lap in Q2 and ended the day 12th.

Both Lotus drivers Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado made it through to Q3 and qualified ninth and tenth respectively.

It was an inauspicious start to the new McLaren Honda era, as the Woking outfit sunk to their lowest point in memory as Jenson Button and substitute Kevin Magnussen ended up slowest of all – and making for an all McLaren back row of the grid.

1 Hamilton

2 Rosberg

3 Massa

4 Vettel

5 Raikkonen

6 Bottas

7 Ricciardo

8 Sainz

9 Grosjean

10 Maldonado

11 Nasr

12 Verstappen

13 Kvyat

14 Hulkenberg

15 Perez

16 Ericsson

17 Button

18 Magnussen

[MIKA27]

EXXONMOBIL EXPANDS RELATIONSHIP WITH MCLAREN

Press Release: ExxonMobil is expanding its technology partnership with the McLaren-Honda Formula 1 team to incorporate its retail fuels brands, Esso, Exxon and Mobil, alongside Mobil 1 – the world’s leading synthetic motor oil.

ExxonMobil has enjoyed a long association with the McLaren team, as an official technology partner providing high-performance race fuel lubricants since 1995. In 2014, the Esso logo was featured on the car during select races in celebration of ExxonMobil and McLaren’s 20-year relationship. The 2015 season will see ExxonMobil fuels branding showcased on the MP4-30 car throughout the season.

ExxonMobil’s decision to showcase its fuels follows a recent regulatory change in Formula 1 racing. Introduced in 2014, the new fuel-limited formula means that fuel will play an even more critical role in car performance. The technical team responsible for the development of this season’s fuel has been working closely with Honda to optimise product performance for the MP4-30 since late 2013.

ExxonMobil race fuel is developed in the same technology centre in Paulsboro, NJ, USA as the company’s advanced retail fuels formulations, and shares similar properties. It is this culture of leading innovation from race to road that continues to help deliver better fuel economy to customers, now and in the future.

“We are proud to have been official technology partners to the McLaren Formula 1 team for more than two decades,” said Alan Kelly, president, ExxonMobil Fuels and Lubricants Company. “In addition to providing full-time laboratory and trackside engineering support, we have been the exclusive fuel supplier since the beginning of the relationship.

“With Honda on-board as the new engine partner for 2015, and highly-experienced world champions Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso at the wheel, capably supported by test and reserve driver Kevin Magnussen, we are all focused on winning races. The addition of our fuels brands will provide us an opportunity to promote our Esso-, Exxon- and Mobil-branded fuel offerings to consumers this coming year,” he added.

Ron Dennis, Chairman and CEO, McLaren Technology Group, agrees: “ExxonMobil technology and expertise has proven vital to race-winning performance throughout our relationship. The team has worked extremely hard to optimise fuel and lubricant products around the Honda power unit. Extracting more power and fuel efficiency is a key focus, we are delighted to recognise ExxonMobil’s fuels technology contributions during the past two decades by welcoming the fuels side of the business as an official partner. Fans will now be able to appreciate that contribution too with both ExxonMobil’s lubricants brand – Mobil 1, and its retail fuels brands – Exxon, Mobil and Esso – on show.”

[MIKA27]

Renault have more scope to upgrade

On a trying weekend for Renault there is at least some good news; they still have 12 tokens available to develop their engine.

Following last year's championship, during which time F1's engine manufacturers were banned from upgrading their 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 units, they were given the go-ahead in the off-season to do just that.

However, the rules stated that they could only select 32 areas of the engine to develop and those areas are called "tokens".

During the off-season, Mercedes made the most changes while Renault made the least.

So the good news on a bad weekend for Red Bull Racing, is that there is more scope available to upgrade their power unit, which can be done throughout the 2015 season due to a loophole in the rules.

Tokens Still Available

Renault 12 of 32

Ferrari 10 of 32

Honda 9 of 32

Mercedes 7 of 32

[Lotusguy]

Yup, it will be a snoozefest season with Mercedes dominating from start to finish.

[JohnS]

Does anyone remember a precedent similar to the Giedo van der Garde vs Sauber team scenario in Formula One history?

[riazp]

well im conflicted. As a Hamilton supporter i'm glad hes driving one of the best cars on the grid...however as a F1 fan it will get boring watching races week to week and watchin mercedes dominate and everyone else fighting for 3rd on the podium and 2nd in the constructors race.

[Baldy]

LOL Crashtor Maldonado strikes again. Most consistent driver ever!

Don't look good for McLaren but if JB can make it to the end and the way everyone is dropping out, they might get into the points.

[ptrthgr8]

Cars are dropping like flies. And the race just started. Derp.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

[JohnS]

McLaren all the way with a 1-2 finish. I caught up with my friend George, who is a F1 fanatic. There's more to the Giedo van der Garde story than what is currently in the media, but he asserted that van der Garde will never drive in Formula One again, in his opinion.

[MIKA27]

McLaren all the way with a 1-2 finish. I caught up with my friend George, who is a F1 fanatic. There's more to the Giedo van der Garde story than what is currently in the media, but he asserted that van der Garde will never drive in Formula One again, in his opinion.

Giedo has every right to be upset, after all, a contract is a contract BUT, perhaps it should have been disputed for a monetary sum behind closed doors, versus an all out war at the 11th hour of the Australian GP in front of the media.

I have to agree, this hasn't done his reputation any good IMO but again, I do understand.

[MIKA27]

BACK INJURY RULES BOTTAS OUT OF AUSTRALIAN GP

A back injury suffered by Valtteri Bottas during qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix has not healed in time for the race, and as a result the Williams driver will sit out the season opener in Melbourne.

Williams said in a statement on Sunday: “Following the team’s earlier statement regarding the injury that Valtteri sustained to his lower back during yesterday’s qualifying session for the Australian Grand Prix.”

“It can be confirmed that the scans revealed that Valtteri had suffered has a very small tear in the annular part of a disc in his lower back.”

“Valtteri has since been evaluated by the FIA’s medical team and following a series of tests the FIA Medical Delegate has deemed Valtteri unfit to take part in this afternoon’s race.”

“The team respect the FIA’s decision and will now work with Valtteri ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix to ensure he receives the treatment required to get him back to full fitness.”

[MIKA27]

WALK IN THE PARK FOR HAMILTON AND MERCEDES

Lewis Hamilton’s world championship defence got off to a flying start on Sunday with a crushing victory for Mercedes in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix as Formula 1 rivals succumbed to a farcical rash of reliability problems.

Pole-sitter Hamilton started from a grid reduced to 15 cars from a possible 20 and cruised to his 34th race win with a 1.3-second gap to runner-up team mate Nico Rosberg.

With Mercedes enjoying a Sunday stroll, Sebastian Vettel finished third — 34 seconds behind Hamilton — on his Ferrari debut after winning a battle for the podium with Williams driver Felipe Massa.

Ferrari’s cheer was tempered, however, by two botched tyre changes for Kimi Raikkonen, the second forcing the Finn to retire when fifth late in the race due to his left rear wheel not being properly attached.

Interviewed on the podium by Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Hollywood ‘Terminator’, Hamilton said it was great to be back on top, “It is an incredible feeling to continue winning.”

Max Verstappen’s record-setting turn as the youngest ever F1 driver ended on a sour note when the Dutch 17-year-old rolled to a stop near the pit entry after complaining of smoke in the cockpit of his Toro Rosso.

Only 11 cars finished, with both Lotus drivers out before the end of the first lap on an embarrassing day for a series that prides itself on being the pinnacle of motorsport.

McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen, standing in for the absent Fernando Alonso, and Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat were unable to start after both suffered failures on their formation laps.

The two Manor Marussia cars were scratched on Saturday after failing to participate in qualifying or any practice sessions, while Williams driver Valtteri Bottas was ruled out of the race with a back injury less than an hour before the start.

After a chaotic start that saw Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado crash into the barrier on turn two after being nudged from behind, Hamilton and Rosberg sped away from the chasing pack.

Opening a 15-second gap to third placed Felipe Massa after the 20th lap, Hamilton successfully kept his team mate Rosberg at arm’s length.

Following a week of legal battles, Sauber were buoyed by a fifth place finish for Brazilian rookie Felipe Nasr, gaining their first points since 2013.

It was the best finish by a Sauber rookie, with Nasr’s team mate Marcus Ericsson and Red Bull’s Carlos Sainz also earning their first points by finishing eighth and ninth respectively.

Local hero Daniel Ricciardo had a terrible start and his Red Bull lacked pace but he battled hard to finish sixth in front of home fans.

It was a dark day for Honda-powered McLaren, however, with Jenson Button finishing last of the 11 cars and lapped twice by Hamilton and the leaders.

Force India driver Sergio Perez had an eventful afternoon, being instructed to drop back two places after over-taking illegally when the safety car was out early.

[MIKA27]

HORNER: NO IDEA HOW RENAULT MANAGED TO F*CK IT UP SO BADLY

Adrian Newey has joined fellow Red Bull officials in angrily pointing the finger at Renault, after team boss Christian Horner fired an angry salvo at the team’s engine supplier.

After Renault struggled at the start of the turbo V6 era last year, the formerly title-winning team is back in trouble one year later in Melbourne.

Team figures have slammed Red Bull’s French partner for making apparently backwards progress over the winter.

“I have no idea how they have managed to f*ck it up so badly,” boss Christian Horner told the BBC in Melbourne.

Now, car designer Newey has joined the chorus, “It’s frustrating that we’ve got an engine which is a long way behind with no obvious light at the end of the tunnel and all sorts of failings.”

The latest report is that divorce is nigh, after Dr Helmut Marko confirmed that Renault has opened talks to take over the Toro Rosso team. More immediately, however, Red Bull-Renault needs to speed up in 2015.

“We keep trying to offer to get involved,” said Newey. “It’s one thing where you’re not competitive but you can see your way out of it. It’s another when you’re not competitive and your partner doesn’t seem to be willing to deal with you. “There seems a real reluctance by Renault to engage us.”

Not only that, the wilder paddock rumblings in Melbourne are that Red Bull is tiring of F1 altogether. Newey’s frustrating has already boiled over, as he has taken a step back in order to get involved in America’s Cup yacht design.

He said the huge disparity between Mercedes’ engine performance and the other engine manufacturers in F1 is an example of the FIA’s failings.

“I think the FIA needs to be a bit more active rather than being completely passive and saying ‘Well, that’s not our problem’. They can’t just give up. There has to be some governance.”

[MIKA27]

HONDA NEEDS ALONSO NOW MORE THAN EVER SAYS SALO

Honda has defended its woeful return to Formula 1 in 2015 with McLaren by revealing that they opted to go conservative for the season opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Experts are predicting McLaren’s works supplier is up to an enormous 250 horse power down compared to Mercedes at the start of its new era on the grid.

The fact the MP4-30 is so “slow and reliable” will be alarming news for recovering star driver Fernando Alonso, watching on from Dubai, according to former F1 driver Mika Salo.

“There may be the view that Alonso doesn’t want to be involved at all if it’s like this,” he told the Finnish broadcaster MTV3. “But given how far away they are, they need him more than ever now.”

Alonso is looking to return in Malaysia in two weeks, which is typically one of the hottest races on the calendar.

“We have identified the problems,” said Honda’s Arai, “but unfortunately we cannot do everything to resolve them by Malaysia.”

But Honda’s F1 chief Yasuhisa Arai explained: “After the Barcelona test, we expected to be able to fight for a good position in Australia.

“Unfortunately we do not have experience at high temperatures. We cannot lose a power unit in the first race, so our setup this weekend is very conservative.

“The power of the internal combustion engine as well as the MGU-K is therefore reduced,” the Japanese added.

[MIKA27]

MARKO CONFIRMS RENAULT IN TORO ROSSO TAKEOVER TALKS

High level talks are underway between Red Bull and Renault, regarding the sale of the Toro Rosso team to the French car manufacturer.

In the Melbourne paddock, high tension between officials of the energy drink company and its French partner is obvious. A divorce appears to be on the cards.

So according to Austria’s Salzburger Nachrichten, Renault has kicked off talks with Red Bull about buying its second team, Toro Rosso, so it can be rebranded as the French manufacturer’s works outfit.

A source confirmed: “Yes, discussions are ongoing between Red Bull and Renault.”

Red Bull’s Helmut Marko, the right hand man of Dietrich Mateschitz, told the APA news agency: “It is true that we are speaking with Renault about another form of cooperation regarding Toro Rosso.

“It may be that the cars go completely in yellow or there may even be a takeover,” the Austrian added.

But Marko denied rumours Red Bull might also be looking to sell its premier team, Red Bull Racing, to the Volkswagen Group.

“There have been no talks,” he insisted.

He does not hide, however, that Red Bull is dissatisfied not only with its current relationship with engine supplier Renault, but with formula one in general.

“Formula 1 is in urgent need of renewal,” said Marko. “The sport must be the coolest, strongest and fastest it can be. If the relation between the cost and what we get out of it is wrong for Red Bull, we would not go on forever.”

[JohnS]

Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo apologised for a boring race yesterday, despite finishing sixth he was lapped! I would think that Renault engine in his Red Bull car needs some work quickly in regards to reliability to catch up to the Mercedes cars this season.

[MIKA27]

Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo apologised for a boring race yesterday, despite finishing sixth he was lapped! I would think that Renault engine in his Red Bull car needs some work quickly in regards to reliability to catch up to the McLaren cars this season.

By the sounds of things, I thin Renault days are numbered with RBR. Horrible engine.

Ricciardo had a brilliant race considering, no issues, reliability there, car running BUT, there wasn't enough Hp to get him around quick enough.

[MIKA27]

No further action against Ferrari

Ferrari have escaped punishment after releasing Kimi Raikkonen from the Melbourne pits without his rear left wheel properly attached.

The 2007 World Champion, who had a problem with the rear left on the opening pit stop, opted for a two-stop strategy in Sunday's Australian GP.

However, his second stop signalled the end of his afternoon.

Again there was an issue with the rear left and this time Raikkonen left the pits before his mechanics had properly attached the new tyre.

He brought his car to a halt at Turn 3, retiring from the grand prix.

The issue was flagged by Race Control for an investigation with the stewards meeting in the wake of the grand prix.

They ruled that no further action needed to be taken.

"The team explained that the system used to monitor pit stops gave no indication that the car was in an unsafe condition when released and the team caused the driver to stop the car immediately the problem was apparent from the driver and telemetry," read a statement from the stewards.

"The team had paid close attention to the telemetry after the actions of the team members involved in the pit-stop and further that the FIA Technical Delegate accepted that the car was not in an unsafe condition when released the stewards took no further action."

[MIKA27]

MARKO: WE HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT AN F1 EXIT SCENARIO

Red Bull has threatened to quit Formula 1, after enduring a below par season opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, where one of their drivers failed to start the race and local hero Daniel Ricciardo toiled to sixth place.

“We are dissatisfied with the way Formula 1 is governed,” Helmut Marko was quoted on Sunday by Auto Motor und Sport.

The 2010-2013 world championship-winning team is furious with its start to the new season, as engine partner Renault struggles and Mercedes extends its dominance.

Team boss Christian Horner said Sauber, Ferrari’s engine customer, is a perfect example of what is wrong with the current rules.

All week, the Swiss team has clung to survival in a Melbourne courtroom, but on track in Melbourne, it was a F1 giant-killer.

“They’re using last year’s wings,” marvelled Horner. “Our new chassis is half a second better than the last year. The difference is the engine,” he insisted.

Indeed, Renault has had a terrible start to the new season, despite reorganising its structure over the winter and re-designing much of its troubled turbo V6 of 2014. Horner, however, claims the French marque’s step has actually been retrograde.

He said the 2015 power unit is “undriveable”, which Marko says that is unacceptable, “To be able to drive at all, we have to use 80 to 100 horse power less.”

Red Bull is now taking steps to get more involved in Renault’s development process, including bringing in the Austrian giant AVL and engine guru Mario Illien.

But Marko, designer Adrian Newey and Horner insist the FIA also needs to step in, for the sake of F1.

“When we were winning,” Horner said on Sunday, “Double diffusers were banned, exhausts were moved, flexible bodywork was prohibited, engine mapping was changed. Anything.”

Newey added: “With Mercedes, nobody says a word.”

Horner continued: “I think is it healthy to have a situation where the FIA, within the rules, have an equalisation mechanisation. I think perhaps they need to look at it.”

Faced with Horner’s ‘equalisation’ proposal, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff late on Sunday used an unpublishable four-letter word. But even Ferrari, having taken a big step forward over the winter, is no longer pushing for big rule changes.

“Our job is to attack Mercedes on the track,” said boss Maurizio Arrivabene, “not to change the rules.”

Furious Red Bull, meanwhile, issued its quit threat, “If the cost-benefit calculation no longer makes sense, we have thought about an exit scenario.”

MIKA: Red Bull Racing is always at the forefront of threats when things don't go their way... When they dominated JUST LIKE Mercedes are now, they didn't complain or say a word, but now that they are struggling and being lapped, they complain and threaten..? They chose Renault as their engine supplier, look at Williams, last season and this season (So far) they are doing remarkably well, prior to that, they were dismal. Again, they didn't complain much either.,

[MIKA27]

MERCEDES EMBARRASSINGLY BETTER THAN RIVALS

A podium appearance by Hollywood strong-man Arnold Schwarzenegger seemed a suitable conclusion for a farcical Sunday at the Australian Grand Prix, where only 11 cars finished and Mercedes’ dominance was almost embarrassing for the team’s drivers.

World champion Lewis Hamilton may have finished only 1.3 seconds ahead of team mate Nico Rosberg in winning Formula One’s season-opener but the pole-sitting Briton crossed the line an astonishing 34 seconds clear of third-placed Sebastian Vettel.

As if to compensate for the lack of a contest on a sunny day at Albert Park, film actor and former California governor Schwarzenegger was drafted in for the podium ceremony, where he conducted some amusing, if slightly awkward, interviews.

The awkwardness was to continue in the post-race media conference where Hamilton and the equally diplomatic Rosberg were at pains to deny the Formula One season was not just a two-horse race.

“I think the Ferraris have taken a huge step forward and have made one of the biggest steps,” Hamilton said generously as Ferrari debutant Vettel, sitting on his left, wore a wry smile. I anticipate we might have a good fight with them at some stage this year.”

Rosberg, runner-up in the championship last year, was a bit franker when he said Mercedes would “be leading the way for sure” for the first couple of races.

“But it would be good if they can come a bit closer… as long as they don’t get too close,” the German said.

His comments drew a snort from Vettel, a four-times world champion with Red Bull, who had plenty of experience defending the dominance of his former team.

“Be honest, do you really hope so?” he interjected, raising roars of laughter. “Seriously? You finish 34 seconds ahead of us and you hope it’s going to be closer? You hope you’ll slow down?”

Hamilton and Rosberg commandeered 16 out of 19 race wins in last year’s championship and 18 out of 19 poles.

The duo dominated qualifying again in Australia with the Briton lapping nearly 1.5 seconds quicker than Felipe Massa’s Williams in third place, times that suggest the Silver Arrows have actually widened the gap to their rivals and raised immediate fears the season will be a foregone conclusion.

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff said his team had met all their targets, or almost achieved them.

“The pace of the car is incredible and then to have a faultless weekend with both drivers immaculate in the car without any problems. This is the result you can achieve,” he said.

[MIKA27]

IMMOBILE MANOR MARUSSIA ESCAPE SANCTION IN MELBOURNE

Manor Marussia have escaped sanction after being probed by Formula 1’s governing body for failing to put their cars on the track at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix this weekend.

Recently re-born after coming out of administration, the British-based team transported their vehicles to Albert Park but were unable to get them to run in practice or qualifying, ruling them out of Sunday’s race won by Lewis Hamilton.

Blaming software problems and other glitches, team principal John Booth said it was important they had made the trip and tried to get their cars in action.

The FIA said it was satisfied the team had “used all reasonable endeavours” to ready their cars.

“Therefore the stewards take no further action during the event,” an FIA statement said.

The Ferrari-powered team missed the final three races of last year after going into administration and took a revised 2014 car, tweaked to meet 2015 safety regulations, to Melbourne.

They only finalised their driving lineup days before the race, naming Spanish rookie Roberto Merhi to partner Britain’s Will Stevens.

On Saturday, Booth said he was hopeful the team would race at either the next round in Malaysia on March 29 or the subsequent one in China (April 12).

[avaldes]

Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo apologised for a boring race yesterday, despite finishing sixth he was lapped! I would think that Renault engine in his Red Bull car needs some work quickly in regards to reliability to catch up to the McLaren cars this season.

I think you mean Mercedes, McLaren finished dead last in the race.

[MIKA27]

SAUBER: A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT BY THE WHOLE TEAM

Fantastic start by the Sauber F1 Team into the new season: In the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne Felipe Nasr finished fifth, while his teammate Marcus Ericsson scrambled for eighth place. This result brought the team a total of 14 championship points.

Marcus Ericsson: “First of all, the team has done a great job over the winter. It is amazing for everyone in the team here in Melbourne and also back home in the factory to get this result in the first race weekend of the 2015 season. We have seen good progress during pre-season testing, and with this achievement I am really happy for everyone. For me as a driver, I have scored my first points in Formula One, which is a big goal achieved. Now, we can build on this for the next race.”

Felipe Nasr: “I am very happy with fifth position in my first ever Formula One race. It is such a big relief for the team and myself that we are able to score points, and I am very pleased about this achievement. It was a tough race. Right after the start it was quite messy in turn 1, as another driver hit my wheel. I thought the car was damaged a bit, but after a few laps I noticed everything was fine. After that, the race went according to plan. There was pressure from behind during the whole race, which was not easy. That was an emotional race for me and everyone in the team.”

Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal: “That was a great achievement by the whole team. We already saw during qualifying that we are competitive, but being able to achieve these positions by our own efforts is a bit of a surprise. It is a confirmation of our hard work and a great reward for the team that had to deal with unfavourable circumstances. This applies to the crew in Hinwil as well as to the team at the race track. It was an outstanding achievement which we have to be proud of. Obviously, I am very happy about our two drivers who both put in a great performance, and in the end they made this great result possible for us.”

Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “It was definitely a great Sunday with a great result. We had a pretty troublefree race. With Felipe we stuck to the original strategy we had planned for him. I have to say that he did an excellent job making up places and keeping Daniel Ricciardo behind him. He drove a fantastic race all the way. Reaching P5 in his first Formula One race was an outstanding achievement. Marcus had to start from further behind and was on the medium tyres. Nevertheless he managed to make up a couple of places on lap one. Then we decided to bring him in during the safety car period and put him on the soft tyres to give him a boost. We gave up a couple of positions, which he was able to recover quickly. At some point we had to make the decision whether to leave him out or to go more aggressively and stop again. We went for the second option and asked him to push to the maximum. He did a very good job and was able to overtake Carlos Sainz Jr. and clinch eighth position. Everybody in the team did a fantastic job and I’m really happy about what we delivered today.”

[MIKA27]

TORO ROSSO: WE COULD HAVE DONE MUCH BETTER

Toro Rosso report from the Australian Grand Prix race day, Round 1 of the 2015 Formula 1 world championship, at Albert Park in Melbourne.

Carlos Sainz: “I’m very pleased to have scored my first ever Formula 1 points in my debut race here in Melbourne! Obviously, we know there was much more potential than a P9 today but, all in all, if we take into account everything that happened, we need to stay positive, keep improving and believing in ourselves because we know we can do better. I really enjoyed today’s race, I did a great start and I liked the battles into turn 1, even though I was maybe a bit too optimistic there but I learned my lesson. The slow pit-stop was a tough moment for the whole team, as we were in a very good position and lost quite a lot of time. From then onwards the race changed and it was just a matter of bringing it home without problems. I’m happy with my first race weekend, I feel that I’ve achieved all my objectives and I look forward to the next race in Malaysia in two weeks’ time.”

Max Verstappen: “A disappointing way to end my first ever Formula 1 race, but there have also been many positives along the way this weekend. In today’s race I had a good first run on the mediums; a lot of people around me were on softs and I was still able to stay quite close to them. But as soon as I re-joined the race after my pit-stop I saw smoke, so I reported that to the pit-wall and they asked me to stop the car. It’s a real shame, because I was feeling good, the car was working well and if I had been able to stay on track I think we would’ve finished in the points. We’ve been a bit unlucky, but we need to focus on the positives and get ready for the next race in Malaysia, where I will put everything we’ve learned here in Melbourne into practice and I hope for a much better result.”

Phil Charles (Chief Race Engineer): “It’s been a very frustrating day for us today as we know we could have done much better. What could have been quite a good day has been unfortunately let down by a few problems on the team side which have cost us quite dearly. With Carlos, a software setting issue after the safety car cost him two places; a problematic wheel related pit-stop made him lose a considerable amount of time, and some other software and setting problems also compromised him when defending against the Sauber at the end of the race. So for him it was definitely far from a clean race but he still managed to score points, which has to be considered a positive factor. As for Max, it’s a very disappointing day, as the strategy that he was on, starting on the prime tyre, meant that he would have most likely finished in the points. With all the issues we have had, we’ve given away what could have been a very positive day and it’s a shame that both drivers haven’t finished the race with the good point scores that they deserve. We know what we have to improve and in which direction we have to work in order to try and avoid that a day like this happens again.”

Cedrik Staudohar (Renault Sport F1 track support leader): “We brought some updates to Australia to improve driveability and performance and some have worked. It has however been hidden by other issues. We’ve worked hard all weekend to improve, especially in driveability, to deliver something more consistent for the drivers. We moved forward in qualifying and the race and finished the race in the points with Carlos, even with a delayed pit-stop. For Max, we had to retire due to a problem with the ICE that will be investigated and fixed for next race.We are not where we would have hoped and obviously need to improve further for the next races; we will analyse everything closely and come back stronger in Malaysia.”