2011 Australian Grand Prix set to start the season

Preparing for the 2011 season, Albert Park lap-record holder Michael Schumacher commented on his feelings about once again coming to race on Melbourne soil,

"Australia has always been one of the highlights on the Formula One calendar in all my years of competing. It is the atmosphere which makes Albert Park so special, and when you see all of the fans having fun, that just gives you a great feeling of how motorsport can be. I am lucky enough to have a lot of good memories from Melbourne: it's a venue where I have won four times and those races will always be very special. I'm sure it will be a great weekend, and an exciting season-opener. I'm looking forward to getting to the paddock on Thursday."

Confident about his preparation and the team's prospects, Schumacher remarked on his readiness for the season-starter,

"We are well prepared. All of the hard work over the winter will start to come together over the first few races and then we will know more about the position we are in, and what still needs to be achieved as Formula One never stands still of course. I feel very 'at home' with the team after one year of working together and this experience has really benefited our pre-season preparations."

Nico Rosberg also expressed anticipation of the Albert Park event,

"I love visiting Australia and Melbourne is one of the most chilled-out cities on the calendar so it's a cool venue for the first race of the season. I'm travelling out early to get acclimatised to the time zone and am looking forward to training by the beach and relaxing in St Kilda in the evenings. The Australian fans are so enthusiastic which is great to see and it makes the atmosphere around Albert Park very special. The circuit holds some great memories for me from achieving my first podium here in 2008, and I have finished in the points in the last four races."

Going into the first race of the season, Rosberg's outlook reflecteda mood of optimism,

"We're in good shape. The team and car have progressed a lot over the winter, we're pleased with the performance from our upgrades and the car is handling well. Our aim is to make a good step forward from last season and I am confident that we will be able to achieve this."

Ross Brawn, Team Principal, offered his overview of the team's race preparation,

"This year marks our second season as MERCEDES GP PETRONAS, and the team has made real progress over this period. With the support of Daimler, Aabar and our team partners, we are gaining strength from being a single entity and building the team that we want for the future.

"Our pre-season programme has gone as well as we could have wanted. However, as always, the first race will be the real measure of where we are in terms of competitiveness. Everyone is eagerly waiting to see how the grid shakes out in Melbourne, and wherever we find ourselves, we will respond accordingly. Our ability to react strongly has improved considerably over the past twelve months and we have a robust development plan in place for the season. 2011 will be the second season with our drivers, Michael and Nico, and this continuity, together with our well-established relationships, has enabled both the drivers and team to prepare well for the challenges ahead.

"I believe that we can expect a very exciting season in 2011. The strategic battle is going to be fascinating with the Pirelli tyres, combined with the new adjustable rear wing and the return of KERS, increasing the challenges for the teams and drivers, and hopefully providing lots of track action for the fans.

"The Australian Grand Prix is always a fantastic motorsport weekend, and with the added excitement of being the first race of the season this year, we are all looking forward to the racing starting again next week."

Albert Park Circuit Statistics

Circuit Length: 5.303km
Race Distance: 305.355km
Number of Laps: 55
Lap Record: 1:24.125 (Michael Schumacher - 2004)Tyre Compounds: Hard/Soft
Average Speed: 230 kph
Full Throttle: 69%
Tyre Energy (1-3): 2
Braking Energy (1-3): 2
Gear Changes: 56 per lap
Length of Straights for RFA*: 3100 m
Distance to First Corner: 200 mRace winners from pole **: 3
Average Safety Car Laps**: 8
Safety Car Occurrences**: 8

* When used freely in practice and qualifying
** (2006 to 2010 seasons)

2010 Australian Grand Prix Stats

Fastest Lap P1: 1:26.927
Fastest Lap P2: 1:25.801
Fastest Lap P3: 1:24.719
Fastest Lap Q1: 1:24.774
Fastest Lap Q2: 1:24.096
Fastest Lap Q3: 1:23.919
Fastest Lap Race: 1:28.358
Race Speed Trap: 310.3 kph

Race Weekend Schedule

Friday 25 March
Practice 1: 12:30 - 14:00
Practice 2: 16:30 - 18:00
Saturday 26 March
Practice 3: 14:00 - 15:00
Qualifying: 17:00
Sunday 27 March
Race: 17:00