Alex, it must be great to get a full time Grand Prix seat?
Alex Wurz: Yes, but hopefully it's the last time in the back row.

You're tall enough to sit in the back row, you see.
AW: OK, if that's the reason, I'm happy to be here. But of course I'm happy to be here, coming back to racing. It's been a few years but somehow they've been erased from my brain and I'm here to attack, same as Anthony next to me. I can't tell you more than that. I'm quite excited.

In fact you haven't raced here since 2000, but you have had a couple of seventh places here.
AW: But this was with the old point system where seventh was the first loser. Anyway, that was some time ago and I've moved on since then. I've had some very interesting years with McLaren where I moved on a lot. I haven't been away on holiday for six years, I've been driving in World Championship-winning teams, compared myself in long runs and short runs to World Champions, race-winners, future talents and that raises your level. And also I'm mature, so I hope I'm a much stronger guy than I was then.

And testing has been very good, reliability good.
AW: Well, to be honest, I'm always quite harsh on myself, and the team, so you're never happy after winter testing because not one of us here can be, because you've always got one problem. But that's what testing is for -- you're pushing the boundaries, trying to go to the limit, trying to adjust the driving style to the new tyres. Of course you have to learn about the new car and so on. But generally I think we're in good shape, better than we have been last year at the same time. We only had the first two tests because we stayed in Europe when all the others went to Bahrain where we came straight out of the box when the car was good, long runs looked quite competitive for where we think we can be. Therefore, I am quite pleased, but in the end, you are never happy. Tomorrow the bullshit stops and the chequered flag drops!

Anthony Davidson: It doesn't drop tomorrow.

AW: Thank-you, a very precise answer!

To be serious, Alex, you stay on Bridgestones this year, but very different Bridgestones to last year, I think.
AW: Yes, it's like a completely new thing. You can't take any ideas, set-ups, directions you had in the past. It's a really different tyre. You have to start from zero, so there's no advantage, in my opinion, for any Bridgestone teams. Saying that, I think this tyre is quite similar to what Bridgestone had in 2003 and 2004, so I guess guys like Ferrari or Spyker, if there are any engineers left from that time in those teams, they might know a little bit more about weight distribution and how the tyres perform in the race, but I think that advantage has gone already and everyone has basically the same starting point here in Australia.

Anthony, again, a similar situation: you've been around in Formula One for an awful long time, just three races in your career. Is it a relief to be racing?
AD: Yeah, definitely. It's great to be here and knowing that I'm not going to be going away on Saturday. You'll have to stop me from packing my bags from routine.

But the car's fairly late coming to you, isn't it?
AD: Yeah, it is. Obviously we're a small team and we're working flat out to get everything ready. It's not the best situation for a driver to be in by any means but as long as I've got the same car as my team-mate then I'm happy.

Is it a problem adapting that car, because it was actually built for Michelins?
AD: The main thing, from a driver's point of view, is lowering your expectation of grip levels. As Alex was saying, it has been quite difficult, over the winter break, and it was good to go to the Bahrain test to have hotter conditions and really see how the tyres perform. The main thing has been lowering your expectation, to less grip.

And what's the big aim in this first race?
AD: To finish it, because I haven't finished one yet, and that's what I want to do.

Robert, welcome back; one or two problems with reliability during testing do you think they've been beaten?
Robert Kubica: I hope so. Definitely the winter was quite difficult for us, but in Bahrain we have finished race distance simulations with both cars so there is some room and possibility that reliability will be good. So the team is confident so I am also confident.