The Australian Grand Prix was a hit and miss affair for McLaren. Whilst reigning world champion Jenson Button clinched an excellent victory, team mate Lewis Hamilton was left frustrated.
In a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes ‘Phone-In’ session, the British team’s managing director, Jonathan Neale, talked about their strategy decisions in Melbourne, the possible adoption of a ride-height control system, and this coming weekend’s Malaysian race
Malaysia is a tough place to go racing. It’s hot, humid and there’s always the risk of a late afternoon thunderstorm to spice things up. The extreme climate has led the Malaysian Grand Prix to be dubbed the ‘toughest race of the year’ for the drivers, who will endure cockpit temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius and lose around three kilos in weight. And it’s just as tough for the pit crew in their fireproof suits, boots and helmets. Renault explain more
Williams’ Rubens Barrichello will be one of four drivers facing the media on Thursday, while on Friday Lotus team principal Tony Fernandes and driver Heikki Kovalainen are amongst those answering questions. The line-up in full
Just two races into the season and Renault are already back on the podium – not bad going for new team principal Eric Boullier. And thanks to Robert Kubica’s second place in Australia last weekend, the French team now lie fourth in the constructors’ standings.
Boullier, however, is determined they won’t sit on their laurels just yet, and is instead aggressively targeting third place in the championship table
After the unexpectedly cool and damp conditions in Melbourne, the season takes us back to searing heat this weekend and the Malaysian Grand Prix in Kuala Lumpur. The drivers and key team personnel discuss their chances of success at the challenging Sepang International Circuit
Although Vitaly Petrov’s race ended in a gravel trap, Renault left Melbourne smiling thanks to Robert Kubica’s podium finish. With just a few days to go until this weekend’s Malaysian event, the French team’s sporting director Steve Nielsen reviews the Australian Grand Prix and looks ahead to making more progress in Sepang
Force India are a team on the move in 2010. With Adrian Sutil, Vitantonio Liuzzi and the VJM03 they have qualified inside the top ten and scored points at both rounds to date. Experienced drivers and a competitive car means it’s a pattern that team owner Vijay Mallya is confident will continue.
All he needs now is to find some positive karma for Sutil, who has had all of the pace but none of the luck thus far, to help them close in on P5 in the constructors’ standings
Renault’s second-place finish was arguably the biggest shock of the Australian Grand Prix weekend and much of it was down to the skills of the man behind the wheel, Robert Kubica, who kept his cool as supposedly faster rivals tripped up in the tricky conditions. The Pole reviews his Melbourne race and looks ahead to Malaysia
As in Bahrain, Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull were the fastest combination in Melbourne. But as in Bahrain, mechanical failure meant the win escaped them. Instead it was Jenson Button and McLaren who did the best job of capitalising on their rivals’ misfortune amid difficult conditions.
Robert Kubica’s stunning drive brought Renault an unexpected podium, and Felipe Massa struck back in his battle with Ferrari team mate Fernando Alonso, beating the Spaniard to third place.
In 2009 Jenson Button took his first win of the season in Australia en route to the title. On Sunday he took the first win of his title defence in the same place – surely a good omen. After qualifying fourth, Button had predicted the real strength of the McLaren would be race pace – and he was right. So after victory in only his second outing for his new team, can it get any better for the Briton? Button certainly thinks so
It would seem that Sebastian Vettel is jinxed. As in Bahrain, Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix saw him dominate the race only to be eliminated by a mechanical problem. He may head to Malaysia safe in the knowledge that he has the fastest car on the grid, but also knows that missing out on valuable points at this stage could ultimately cost him the title
1st Jenson Button (McLaren), 1h33m36.531s; 2nd Robert Kubica (Renault), 1h33m48.565s; 3rd Felipe Massa (Ferrari), 1h33m51.019s.
Q: Jenson, an incredible race. 50 laps plus on a set of soft tyres. You made the early gamble for the slick tyres and that was the game changer. Was that your call?
Jenson Button: It was. I think it is a lot easier for the drivers to feel the conditions. The team can see it on TV with the clouds coming in, but we can feel out on the circuit what is happening.
From his poor qualifying position, to a questionable strategy call by McLaren, to Mark Webber’s overly-optimistic passing attempt, Australia hasn’t been Lewis Hamilton’s weekend. Here Hamilton reviews his race and looks ahead to next weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix
Defending world champion Jenson Button clinched his first victory of 2010 – and his first for McLaren – in Australia on Sunday. An excellent call on tyre strategy – and a mechanical failure for pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel – gave him the edge in the dry-wet Melbourne race.
Robert Kubica took second for Renault, ahead of the Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso…
BMW Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi, Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi and Williams’ Nico Hulkenberg on their first-lap clash; Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso on their late-race tyre troubles; and reigning world champion Jenson Button on his first win for McLaren. All 24 drivers and their teams review Sunday’s action
It may not have opened the season this year but Melbourne’s Albert Park was en fete yet again for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.
Friday evening saw world champion Jenson Button star in the annual Grand Prix Ball, while the paddock teemed with stars from racing and other walks of life, displays of historic racing and road cars, and the event maintained its reputation as one of the best in the world with a card of support races calculated to keep the huge crowd entertained throughout.
Red Bull clinched the front row of the Melbourne grid with ease on Saturday, with Sebastian Vettel taking pole ahead of team mate – and local hero – Mark Webber. Behind the Red Bull duo, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, McLaren’s Jenson Button and Felipe Massa in the other Ferrari made up the top five. The big surprise, however, was Lewis Hamilton failing to make it through to Q3. We take a team-by-team look at how all the runners performed
His Red Bull team mate Sebastian Vettel eventually ended qualifying on top, but Mark Webber came very close to securing pole position at his home race on Saturday. And with rain on the cards, and the Australian Grand Prix’s reputation for unusual results, Webber remains confident he could still emerge as the winning driver
The pecking order in Bahrain suggested Red Bull and Ferrari were the clear frontrunners, with McLaren and Mercedes following in their wake. The performance of McLaren’s Jenson Button in Melbourne on Saturday, however, implies the British team are on the move, with Button set to start Sunday’s race from fourth ahead of Ferrari’s Felipe Massa
With driver Sebastian Vettel clinching his second consecutive pole position, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was all smiles in the Melbourne paddock on Saturday evening. Horner discusses his team’s progress in Australia…
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 Mark Webber |
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 Jenson Button |
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Lewis Hamilton |
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 Fernando Alonso |
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 Felipe Massa |
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 Michael Schumacher |
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Nico Rosberg |
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 Kimi Raikkonen |
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 Romain Grojean |
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Paul di Resta |
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Niko Hulkenberg |
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 Kamui Kobayashi |
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 Sergio Perez |
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Daniel Ricciardo |
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Jean Eric Vergne |
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 Pastor Maldonado |
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Bruno Senna |
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Heikki Kovalainen |
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 Jarno Trulli |
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Pedro de la Rosa |
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 Narain Karthikeyan |
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Timo Glock |
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Charles Pic |
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