Although, on paper, he has contested three Grands Prix, two with Minardi and one with Honda, Anthony Davidson believes that the forthcoming race at Melbourne will mark the real beginning of his F1 career.

The Minardi drives were way back in 2002, when the Englishman replaced Alex Yoong, who had been temporarily dropped by the Italian team having failed to qualify for a number of races. In both events, Davidson went off, leading to claims regarding his fitness, with some claiming the youngster didn't have the required upper body strength for a full race distance.

In 2005, he replaced Takuma Sato, who was taken ill during the course of the Malaysia GP weekend, but though he qualified 15th, just seven grid spots behind teammate Jenson Button, Davidson's race ended after just two laps when his Honda powerplant detonated, just moments before his teammate's unit followed suit.

Since then, despite the speculation, including numerous media claims of midnight seat fittings, Davidson has bided his time, confident that eventually someone would give him a fair crack of the F1 whip.

Speaking at a promotional event to launch the latest PlayStation F1 game, 'Formula One Championship Edition', the Englishman referred to his previous 'false starts'.

"I definitely discount the Minardi stuff that I did," he said. "To jump in mid-season like I did there is harder than people think. You can't just jump into someone else's game half way through and expect to do well at it. Maybe I was a little bit naive, "but when you're handed these chances you just have to grab it with both hands.

"Now it's all been done properly," he continued. "This actually feels like the way I always wanted it to be, where you've had the groundwork done and are going to get your chance to show what you can do.

"This is my chance," he added. "I've got to prove myself. Because I know there are some doubters out there still."

Referring to the 'new car', the SA07, whose launch has been delayed until two days before the opening practice session, Davidson there is no cause for concern

"It shouldn't make too much difference at all," he told reporters. "I am not bothered about it at all. At the end of the day, a Formula One car is a Formula One car, and the main thing has been learning the new tyres."

With the Super Aguri having failed its mandatory crash tests, the Englishman looked ahead to a worse-case scenario, mindful that above all else he will be judged on his performance in comparison to his teammate, Takuma Sato: "If we turn up in a wheelbarrow then we will both be in wheelbarrows," he laughed, "and at the end of the day I have got to beat him! That is my job."