Lewis Hamilton:
It's quite unbelievable, really, what this team has done. It's a great feeling to start off the season the way we finished the last and the car is just incredible, so thank you to the team. It was still a tough race, though, as Nico was very quick throughout. It was about managing fuel and also the tyres - trying to see how long we could push them. Once I'd built a two second gap it was about maintaining it. But when Nico turned up the heat it was tough. He drove really well and it's a great result for the team to start the season with a 1-2. It's good to see Ferrari back up here on the podium. I think they have taken a big step, so I anticipate a good fight with them this year at some point and we can't back off. In fact, the podium was pretty awesome. I don't often get star struck but I can't believe I was up there with the Terminator! Anyway, we've learned a lot this weekend and there will be a lot of analysis to do before Malaysia. Hopefully we'll keep finding ways to improve. Just because we had that gap today it doesn't mean we'll be cruising. There's still a long way to go.
Nico Rosberg:
What a start for us. It's great to have the quickest car again and what an amazing job by everybody involved. A big thank you to the guys back in the factories for all their work. Okay, so now it's 1:0 to Lewis. He did a perfect job this weekend with no mistakes and improved a lot from Friday to Sunday. Yesterday after Qualifying I was already on the back foot and that's difficult to change in a race against Lewis. I need to have a better Saturday, which I was able to do last year. But it's still a long season with lots of races to go. I want to strike back in Malaysia, so that's the focus. Thanks to everyone in Europe for waking up so early and for crossing their fingers for us - we've had fantastic support and it's really great to see.
Daniel Ricciardo:
"It wasn't the most exciting race. After the start I was able to stay with Nasr, but I wasn't able to get close enough to make the move. We finished the race and got some points which was positive, and there are things we can learn; I think on paper sixth was the best for us today. It was a shame for Dany, I feel for him I hope we have a smoother weekend in Malaysia. In terms of where we need to improve, the main issue is the drivability and the power, there are pretty big chunks that we know we need to find there. Beyond that it's hard, as with the chassis itself I don't think we've really been able to test it to its limits yet due to the other issues we've had. We've got a lot of work to do, but we have got a lot of information from this weekend which will help us ahead of Malaysia."
Daniil Kvyat:
"I had to stop on the way to the grid as we had a problem; I think it was something to do with the gearbox. Obviously it's not a nice feeling to watch the other drivers on track while you are here. From now on, it can only get better so we are staying positive. I have confidence in the team. We have another race in two weeks and will be pushing as hard as we can ahead of that."
Felipe Massa:
The aim of today was start the season with a solid points haul and demonstrate that we have a competitive car. We have managed to achieve much of what we wanted so this has been a positive start. The only disappointing part of the race was that I was jumped at the first pitstop by Vettel after losing a second and a half behind Ricciardo on my out-lap which was enough to lose the position. I have faith in the team and the car and we head to Malaysia knowing we are very much in the fight.
Valtteri Bottas:
I have done a lot of work since the issue with my back came in qualifying to get myself ready, starting treatment immediately, so the news that I couldn't race today was obviously disappointing but I respect the decision. I now have two weeks until the next race to receive further treatment to ensure I will be back to full fitness and even stronger in Malaysia. I'm very eager to get back in the car and race because the FW37 is looking competitive and I'm confident we can fight for podiums.
Sebastian Vettel:
"They did not play the Italian anthem on the podium, but we can be very pleased with this weekend. It's a shame that a small mistake prevented Kimi from finishing the race but, in general, it was a very "clean" weekend. The most important thing is we have a good car, a real platform from which to carry on working. So thank you and congratulations also to the people who have worked hard in Maranello, as well as those here in Australia. Without them, this result would not have been possible. The start was not the best, there was too much wheelspin and when I tried to hold the inside line, my tyres were still too cold. We had a great race strategy, which allowed us to jump the Williams, which had a good top speed, at our one pit stop. Now we must confirm our performance in the coming races and then, one step at a time, let's hope we can begin to close on the Mercedes. The gap is still big, but of all the teams, I think ours is the one that has improved the most over the winter. For a long time, I've dreamed of driving for Ferrari and it's happened at the
right time. I drank the champagne on the podium and I kept some for the guys in the team, because they told me they like it a lot... Thanks also to the fans. We have a great car, not just for qualifying but also for the race. Let's hope we can get on the podium again and maybe even get a few wins!"
Kimi Raikkonen:
"Shortly after the start, someone hit me from behind. Then I felt another contact on my right side, but I don't think it was Sebastian's car. The impact activated the anti-stall system and did some damage to the floor of the car. We were very quick in the race, able to catch the Williams and to fight for the podium: but then there were problems at both pit stops. I don't know exactly what happened, but I know I lost something in terms of downforce. However, my team-mate's podium is a great result for the team. Already in qualifying, despite my mistake on the quick lap, we knew we had a good car. And in the race, the gap to the Mercedes seemed less than on Saturday. It's simply that, today, everything happened to me."
Kevin Magnussen:
"Today was frustrating for me - I really wanted to race the car - but it's been good to get out here this weekend. I've really enjoyed it.
"Even though I couldn't make the start, the team can learn something from my car's problem. And we can take positives from Jenson finishing the race, too - we came here to learn, and that's what we did. Finishing is a small victory for the team - I don't think we expected to be able to do that.
"Now we can get a car to the finish line, we can start to accelerate our learning. We got 56 valuable laps under our belts today, and that's a great way for McLaren and Honda to start our journey together."
Jenson Button
"Today has been a good day. We're still a long way off, but this is a good starting point - and I enjoyed the race. I even had a good little battle with Checo [Perez]. Today also really helps in terms of development: if we'd done three laps, we'd have learned nothing, so we've learned a massive amount by completing a race distance.
"It was also a good opportunity for me to get used to the car and to play around with it, making adjustments in the cockpit. There's a lot of work still needed - on power, driveability, downforce and set-up - but we can make big strides. And, by improving one area, it tends to snowball; more and more areas start to improve, too.
"There were more positives: we're as quick as the Force Indias in the corners, and we look similar in speed through the corners to the Red Bulls and Saubers, too.
"It's been a tough winter - our longest run in testing was just 12 laps, so today's 58-lap run was a good step forward - but we know we've got a lot of work to do. But, with all of today's learning, there are many areas we can improve for the next race."
Nico Hulkenberg:
"I am very pleased with today's result and starting the season with two cars in the points is always positive. It was a good race; I didn't make any mistakes and, while the reliability of our car helped us take advantage of the problems of others, at this stage in the season it is important to capitalise on any opportunity. We were ready when it counted; we had a good strategy and we delivered under the pressure. In terms of performance we are not yet where we would like to be, but everyone is working really hard to get there and make our car quicker. With points on the board we can now look forward to Malaysia in a couple of weeks and hopefully take another step forward."
Sergio Perez:
"It was one of those unusual races where so many things happened, but I'm certainly happy to come away with a point and see Nico also score good points for the team. We went for a different strategy compared to Nico to maximise the team's chances so I started on the medium tyres in order to have the advantage on the softs at the end of the race. Unfortunately, after the safety car the FIA asked me to give a place back to Ericsson, which also meant dropping behind Button, and that was really painful for my race. Button was on the soft tyres and, although I was quicker, it was not easy to overtake and I lost a lot of track position. Still, I'm focussing on the positives of scoring a point from a difficult race, which is a good result for the team."
Max Verstappen:
"A disappointing way to end my first ever Formula 1 race, but there have also been many positives along the way this weekend. In today's race I had a good first run on the mediums; a lot of people around me were on softs and I was still able to stay quite close to them. But as soon as I re-joined the race after my pit-stop I saw smoke, so I reported that to the pit-wall and they asked me to stop the car. It's a real shame, because I was feeling good, the car was working well and if I had been able to stay on track I think we would've finished in the points. We've been a bit unlucky, but we need to focus on the positives and get ready for the next race in Malaysia, where I will put everything we've learned here in Melbourne into practice and I hope for a much better result."
Carlos Sainz Jr:
"I'm very pleased to have scored my first ever Formula 1 points in my debut race here in Melbourne! Obviously, we know there was much more potential than a P9 today but, all in all, if we take into account everything that happened, we need to stay positive, keep improving and believing in ourselves because we know we can do better. I really enjoyed today's race, I did a great start and I liked the battles into turn 1, even though I was maybe a bit too optimistic there but I learned my lesson. The slow pit-stop was a tough moment for the whole team, as we were in a very good position and lost quite a lot of time. From then onwards the race changed and it was just a matter of bringing it home without problems. I'm happy with my first race weekend, I feel that I've achieved all my objectives and I look forward to the next race in Malaysia in two weeks' time."
Romain Grosjean:
"We had a loss of power on the formation lap; there was a technical issue which we are investigating. It's not how you want to end your race, but we know the car is good and we're miles ahead of where we were last season. We have a good baseline with the E23 and a good engine. We also have new pieces that we are bringing over for the next races, so more performance coming. The first race is always a bit of a tricky one, you never know what might happen and, unfortunately it was bad luck for us today but it doesn't matter: I'm still very hopeful for the year."
Pastor Maldonado:
"Racing is like this. It was quite busy start, going into a narrow corner. I just felt a big hit on the back and didn't see what happened. It's disappointing because it was a great chance for us to have a great race. The pace of the car was looking much better than in qualifying, so looking forward we can learn from this race. It was a good weekend until today, it's looking quite promising. In two weeks we will be again fighting for points and again doing our best to be even more competitive."
Marcus Ericsson:
"First of all, the team has done a great job over the winter. It is amazing for everyone in the team here in Melbourne and also back home in the factory to get this result in the first race weekend of the 2015 season. We have seen good progress during pre-season testing, and with this achievement I am really happy for everyone. For me as a driver, I have scored my first points in Formula One, which is a big goal achieved. Now, we can build on this for the next race."
Felipe Nasr:
"I am very happy with fifth position in my first ever Formula One race. It is such a big relief for the team and myself that we are able to score points, and I am very pleased about this achievement. It was a tough race. Right after the start it was quite messy in turn 1, as another driver hit my wheel. I thought the car was damaged a bit, but after a few laps I noticed everything was fine. After that, the race went according to plan. There was pressure from behind during the whole race, which was not easy. That was an emotional race for me and everyone in the team."
