Looked like another superlative performance there from Renault; your thoughts and what was it like in terms of the heat?
Giancarlo Fisichella: Yes, it is. Yesterday we ran without any problems and this morning we made some adjustments overnight and the car was much more easy to drive. I felt very comfortable in the three qualifying sessions, and especially in the last one, I was very comfortable with the car. The set-up was fantastic and it’s a great result after last Sunday where we already had a problem on the Saturday.

Incredibly high temperatures; what was it like on that longish run prior to the pole there?
GF: It’s really tough. It’s going to be the toughest race of the season for me, but physically and mentally I am very strong, I feel right and yes, it will be a tough race but it will be the same for everybody.

Interesting to see some of the major opposition – both of the McLaren Mercedes and of course your team mate Fernando – a little bit behind you on the grid.
GF: I don’t know why. Fernando is eighth, I think. That’s not his position. I don’t know what his problem is, but I’m really happy for my performance and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

Jenson, not very happy yesterday but a great performance today.
Jenson Button: No, yesterday we were struggling quite a bit with the car set-up but they did a lot of hard work overnight and we’re here. The car is working a lot better today so I’ve got to thank the team for all their hard work overnight, they did a fantastic job of turning things around really, because it wasn’t looking this good. But I’m happy with second, it would have been nice to have been first but that’s pretty much all the time we had.

You said from the start how much you were enjoying this new qualifying session, a lot of heat out there, a lot of laps, a lot of work to do.
JB: Yes, but the problem is when you’re stuck in the garage more than anything else. Driving the car’s not so bad, it’s in the garage, but we’ve done a good job with fans and everything so I haven’t got too hot. It’s a bit of a challenge, it’s good.

We’ve had some problems with engines this weekend; indeed, we’ve had one problem with the Honda engine of your team mate. Your thoughts on reliability and what it’s going to take tomorrow in these very difficult conditions.
JB: It’s going to be tough on everything: on the driver, on the tyres and even on the car. It’s never easy around this circuit, it’s always very hot and very humid, and luckily we’re very well prepared for tomorrow and now we’re just going to have to work out if our strategy is the right one and I think it is.

Nico, a fantastic performance; fastest lap in the Bahrain Grand Prix and now third fastest in Malaysia, just ahead of Michael Schumacher.
Nico Rosberg: Yeah, it’s not too bad. I’m really really pleased at how it went. I have to thank the team also because I had a great car which gave me the possibility to go so far up to third. I’m really really pleased and I’m looking forward to tomorrow now.

Obviously the Williams Cosworth is a very good package here, but talk about it from your point of view; you are a rookie and yet you make it look very very easy.
NR: Well that’s not true, that’s for sure. It’s not easy at all. It’s just going well, I’ve fitted in well with the team, we’re working very well together with the engineers and everything and it’s great, especially in the race when we will be extra strong compared to qualifying. Maybe we will have a little bit of an edge in the race and we could look good for tomorrow.

It’s a big jump from GP2 to Formula One and very very difficult conditions here; how are you going to fare in the heat tomorrow?
NR: Yeah, it’s definitely not going to be easy, that’s for sure, but I felt good in Bahrain throughout the race. It was not too hard and also today in qualifying. I was sweating a fair bit but otherwise it was OK so I think it will be alright for tomorrow.

Giancarlo, returning to you, a difficult race here for you last year, and of course a difficult race for you in Bahrain, but everything is looking good for you at the moment.
GF: Yeah, yeah, exactly. The first race of last season was fantastic, it was a fantastic memory for me. I won the first race of the season straight away and this year was totally different for me, but I am looking forward to this race. I’ve got a great car, a great team and a fantastic package to be looking forward.

Press Conference

Giancarlo, well done, but your timing is not very good: the Italian press is on strike – not here of course!
GF: As usual. It’s not the best time to do the pole but anyway it’s good for me because it is a great answer after the last race where we made a big mistake. But anyway, the package is fantastic, the performance is good, I’m sure, and a chance during this season to do well.