Australian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - McLaren

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - McLAREN HONDA FORMULA 1 TEAM

Fernando Alonso - "It's been a very long winter - the longest I can remember without Formula 1 - so I'm really looking forward to getting back in the car. This track is always exciting to drive, partly because of its street circuit nature - tight run-off areas, a bumpy surface and low grip - but also because everyone is impatient to go racing again.

The important thing is to get a good start - usually everyone is eager and it's quiet common for there to be some drama off the line in the first race. This year, it'll be interesting to see how everyone's tyre choices play out, and the strategy each team picks, but it's only on Sunday afternoon that we'll get to see where we really are. On Friday and Saturday, we'll be working hard to predict the track's characteristics on race day, and focusing on setting up the car in its final specification. It'll also be interesting to see how the improvement in the power unit deployment pans out on this tricky circuit, too."

Jenson Button - "I'm so excited to go racing again! Albert Park is always a great season-opener - I love Melbourne as a city, and the track is pretty good, too. The warm weather is a welcome change and the higher track temperatures than we've been used to in testing always pose a bit of a challenge.

In Australia it's always a new slate each day in terms of set-up, as the track starts off very green on the Friday and wears in more and more as the weekend goes on. We are planning to bring some updates to this race, so we'll be working on configuring those into our set-up right from FP1. Albert Park is a tricky place to start the season at – it's an unforgiving, technical, bumpy street circuit, so it really gets you going after a few months off from racing, but that's why we love driving there."

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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