Giancarlo Fisichella's View
"I like Australia and I like
the city of Melbourne. It's always a nice grand prix weekend
there, especially as it is the season opener. Some of the
parts of the track are quite challenging, and it's one of
those races where, if you can finish, you can usually take
some points. You need a really reliable car there. I have
a good feeling with the C23, especially after our latest
tests in Spain and Italy where we did a very good job on
set-up and tires development with Bridgestone. We did a
very good time at Imola, using the latest Bridgestones.
So I'm feeling optimistic that we can qualify in the first
five rows and hopefully score some points straight away."
Jenson Button's View
"Starting
the lap, I will accelerate up to top gear and a speed of
around 310kmh at the end of the pit straight before braking
down to third gear for the first right hand corner, which
I take at around 135kmh.
That's
immediately followed by a left hand corner, making it almost
a chicane, although I accelerate all the way through the
left-hand part of the corner, apexing at around 200kmh in
fourth gear. On the short straight that follows I will continue
accelerating up to 300kmh, moving through the gears before
braking hard down to the 80kmh, second gear right-hander.
Again, this is followed almost immediately by a left-hand
corner, but I only have to break very lightly, taking it
at around 145kmh in third gear.
There
is no rest after this as I accelerate all the way into the
long right-hander with, again, just a very light touch on
the brakes as I enter it and I will go through that at around
215kmh in fourth gear. The next straight is relatively short
and I will only reach something over 280kmh before slowing
right down again for a second gear corner, which I take
at just under 130kmh.
The
circuit map then shows a long right-hand corner, but I can
actually take all of this flat out and it is here where
my body receives the maximum cornering forces at around
265kmh in fifth gear. I will finally reach around 285kmh
before braking very hard again and dropping down to just
over 100kmh for the next second gear right-hand corner.
From here a fast switch into a long left hand corner demands
high concentration and I need to be very careful as I enter
it at around 180kmh in third gear and accelerate all the
way up to around 300kmh as I end the section.
From
here there is a fast and very difficult fourth-gear chicane,
and I will take both left-hand and right-hand parts at around
210kmh, before rising back up to 300kmh. The next corner
is a second gear right-hander, the first of two very difficult
corners, and I will have to brake very hard, down to second
gear at 120kmh. Between this and the second of the two right-handers
a brief acceleration will increase my speed to 230kmh and
I will move up two gears to fourth. I stay in fourth gear
for the next part but brake down by 50kmh as I head for
the next tight left-hand corner, for which I accelerate
back up to 245kmh before dropping to second gear for the
80kmh left-hand corner.
The
final corner, which leads me back onto the pits straight,
is taken at around 150kmh in third gear, and a good exit
from this corner is crucial to give me a good speed as I
prepare for another lap."
