Calm, refreshed and feeling extremely positive. After the race, people asked me if wed expected to demonstrate the pace that we did in Australia, and I tell them that it was unexpected. Of course, wed done our sums after winter testing, but you can never be certain whether another team is running with high-fuel or hiding their true pace. So to come away from race one with such a positive result Vodafone McLarenMercedes took pole, fastest lap and the victory is a huge relief for the organisation.
But its also incredibly motivating: we know we have a great car but were not going to sit still with it. We have ambitious plans to develop the car and I know that everybody back at Woking is working hard to bring new components to the track, and that all our mechanics and engineers are flat-out to ensure that we maximise the package that we have this weekend. I think everybody knows that we are a relentless organisation; we can develop a car as well if not better than any other team. The difference this year is that weve started with a winning package; the challenge will be to maintain that, and I know thats something were all really looking forward to doing.
You won Malaysia in 2009, and you finished second here last year is it a circuit you like?
It is. Its more of a high-speed circuit [than Melbourne], there are some fantastic sweeping corners here and, if the cars working properly, its a real joy to drive. Its one of the toughest circuits on the calendar because theres a real range of corners, cambers, a couple of blind apexes and a little bit of gradient. If the cars working against you, then it becomes painful, but when its all switched on, its just a great, great circuit to drive.
I think weve got a car that really works well in the high-speed stuff we saw that throughout winter testing. So I think the challenge this weekend will be to find the right balance at this stage in the year, youre still learning about the car and how to get the best from it. But I think the engineers understand how our car is strong I know theyre really looking forward to extracting the maximum from it in Sepang this weekend.
Your victory in Australia was relatively unflustered, are you expecting a stronger challenge this weekend?
As we said repeatedly throughout last year, and we saw time and again with Sebastian [Vettel], if you can qualify strongly and get away cleanly then its much easier to control the field, to race cleanly and to get a representative result.
I think the race showed that there are several top teams in Formula 1, and I think we can expect them to be fighting for victory in Malaysia. Both Red Bull drivers were very quick in the race, and I think we can expect further strong challenges from Mercedes AMG and Lotus this weekend. Of course, were not relaxing and we go to Malaysia ready for a strong fight.
Lewis Hamilton After Australia, you said you werent sure how youd lost pace relative to Jenson: do you now understand that, and does that put you in a good position for Malaysia?
Yeah, after the race in Australia, it was difficult to understand exactly what happened. I was generally happy with the car all weekend, but just lacked a bit of pace compared to Jenson in the race. Afterwards, I sat down with my engineers and we went through all the data. There was a small issue with the clutch at the start: it wasnt my fault, but we now understand and know how to improve in the future. My race pace was pretty much identical to Jensons, but he was able to switch the tyres on extremely well, which explains how he was able to pull a gap so quickly at the start and also after the restart.
Its encouraging and reassuring to understand the reasons for our race pace in Australia, and it puts me in a really positive frame of mind for the race in Malaysia. Plus, it always helps to be back in the car only five days after the last grand prix you move on so quickly.
Youve never won in Malaysia does that make you more intent to tick it off your list?
Its never really something youre particularly conscious of during the race weekend, but Ive made no secret of the fact that Id love to win a grand prix at every circuit I race at. Youre right, Ive not won at Sepang before, but Ive had some good races here and Id like to put the record straight with a victory this weekend.
I think we go into the weekend feeling pretty optimistic because Sepang is quite a high-speed circuit and our car has usually gone well in the high-speed stuff during winter testing. Sepang will also be a test because of the high temperatures, but weve traditionally been able to manage the cooling on our car quite well, so I dont think that will be too much of a concern.
Physically, its always a tough race, but were improving the organisation in every area, and I think weve taken some interesting steps this year to ensure the whole team will be better prepared for the heat and humidity.
Will we get a clearer picture of overall pace this weekend?
Clearly, were very encouraged by our pace, both in qualifying and in the race, and Id like to think we can continue that at Malaysia this weekend. I think both Mercedes AMG and Red Bull Racing have performance up their sleeves, and theyll both be very fast in qualifying and the race. As far as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is concerned, its nice to be the hunted rather than the hunter, which has been the case in the past few seasons.
But I know how well our team can respond the result in Australia will only double everyones resolve. The development race has already started and well be pushing like crazy to stay at the front. I think Malaysia will add detail to the overall picture, but its the pace of development between ourselves, Red Bull, Mercedes, Lotus and Ferrari that will define the course of the season.
Martin Whitmarsh, Team principal: Everybody within Vodafone McLaren Mercedes was tremendously buoyed by our performance in Melbourne last weekend. As we all know, a Formula 1 winter is incredibly tense as its almost impossible to know if the targets youve set internally will set the standard or leave you wanting.
Happily, we were delighted to discover that MP4-27 has been successfully developed into a race-winning package and thats a source of huge pleasure, and huge relief, for the whole team. Of course, nobody sits still in Formula 1 and we head to Malaysia mindful that well once again receive a stern challenge from our closest rivals most notably Red Bull Racing and Mercedes AMG, both of whom will have points to prove this weekend.
Sepang was one of the original new world Formula 1 circuits and one that triggered the sports global expansion into Asia at the start of the millennium. Im pleased that it remains a mainstay of the calendar, but also that it has developed a character and history of its own. Its an extremely demanding circuit on both the cars and the drivers and a real challenge.
Weve enjoyed some highs and lows here, but I think were all looking forward to understanding how this unique season will continue to unwind this weekend.
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