STR3 to make debut in Turkey

Ferrari lands former Spyker sponsor

McLaren Mercedes has snapped up a new sponsor and official supplier in photographic services company Olympus, formerly a Ferrari sponsor.

Test Times: Paul Ricard 12-03

Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber will enjoy his home Grand Prix this weekend in Melbourne. The 31-year-old from Queanbeyan, Australia, expect it will be a tough and close fight this season with at least three other F1 teams that Webber expects to be as competitive as Red Bull Racing.

Felipe Massa is looking forward to the opening race this weekend in Melbourne. The Ferrari driver from Brazil is expecting an exciting Formula 1 season and believes Ferrari can fight for the championship title. According to Massa the team is in better shape now than at the start of the 2007 F1 season.

Australian GP: Press Conference schedule

Mosley outlines his vision for the greener future of F1

The organizers of the Australian Grand Prix proposed to move the start of the race to 5pm next year in order to reach a bigger audience in Europe. Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone though insisted the race will run at night to reach a bigger audience in Europe. "The race start at 5.00pm doesn't help a lot," Ecclestone said.

Massa: We are starting from a good baseline

Since June 1993, Ferrari had the name of Jean Todt at its head, but this year sees a change: while Todt continues as Ferrari's CEO the role of F1 team principal is now in the hands of former sporting director, Stefano Domenicali who is optimistic but cautious about making predictions for this season.

The rivalry between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso will intensify now they are in different teams, says Red Bull's Mark Webber.

"The title battle will be between Hamilton and Raikkonen"

Nico Rosberg expects he and Williams will be far more competitive in this weekend's Australian Grand Prix, than they were a year ago. The team has shown impressive pace in winter testing and has been a lot more reliable than it was last season too.

The 5.303km Albert Park track is one of the few street circuits on the calendar and therefore used by everyday road traffic when Formula One isn't in town. As a result, drivers are faced with minimal grip levels during the race weekend's opening sessions, combined with the recent ban on traction control, the circuit's limited run-off areas may claim some unprecedented victims over the weekend before grip levels improve as the cars lay rubber. 

As he prepares for the start of his twelfth F1 season, Jarno Trulli says Toyota has made a major step forward that is making him feel optimistic about his chances for the first time in two years.

Malaysia returns to victory venue

Adrian Sutil says he is hoping to be able to score a few points this season as he heaps praise on his team's new owners at Force India. 

Melbourne offers a good test for engines with the latest generation V8s operating at full throttle for 66 per cent of the lap. However, the secret of a good lap time depends not on peak power, but on good torque to help launch the car out of the slow corners that connect the succession of straights. This is particularly true of turns 14, 15 and 16, which are all low-speed corners where the car tends to understeer making it difficult to get on the power early. 

Toyota heads to the opening round of the 2008 championship in optimistic mood and with a new driver line-up eager to get the racing season underway. The TF108 arrives in Australia with the updated specification tested in Barcelona last month. The updated package includes revised bodywork as well as other mechanical improvements.