FORMULA 1 2019 ROLEX AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

The first race of the year, the Australian Grand Prix, is a high point of the season, but even more so this year as Daniel Ricciardo makes his race debut for the team. We head there united and with strong determination.

We have a new car that has shown potential in Barcelona. The power unit has made progress and our driver line-up of Daniel and Nico is perhaps the strongest on the grid. We’re looking forward to seeing them showcasing their experience and talent on track. There is a lot of expectation for the first race, especially with Daniel’s debut for the team coming at his home Grand Prix.

The two pre-season tests in Barcelona were productive. We ran through our programme largely as planned, thanks to racking up a lot of kilometres. However, only the race will answer the outstanding questions and allow us to see where we are and to make further progress; it will be the hour of truth. This makes the first race of the season one of the most intense of the year for every team.

The power unit performance is there, with a clear step forward and consistent with our targets, which is very satisfying. Given the level of reliability demonstrated in Barcelona, the sensitivity over this aspect will be a little different. From now, reliability will not necessarily score points, as it had in the past, but any resulting DNFs will be more costly. We will therefore be particularly vigilant in this regard at the start of the year.

The 21-race calendar will bring opportunities for us to continue our progress. Our objective of closing the gap to the best in class is ambitious but we are resolute and every detail will be taken into consideration. We believe in our ability and we aim to set the tone for a good season in Australia this weekend.