Heikki, I'll start with you. Obviously you were very pleased to score your first world championship last weekend in Malaysia, but has the car been cured of its problems?
Heikki Kovalainen: In one week I think not, unless there has been a miracle we don't know about. Clearly we are behind the top pace and obviously we are not happy about that. The whole factory is trying to understand the cause, but this weekend the gap to the leaders will be about the same. Hopefully, though, we'll score points again.
Perhaps the point I should have made is that there are fewer high-speed corners here than in Malaysia and you looked better in testing here than you did at Sepang.
HK: The test before Sepang was pretty good, too, and we thought we'd made a good step, but looking back other teams had made an even bigger step because there was a bigger gap between us and the leaders in Sepang than there was in Melbourne. As you said, there are fewer high-speed corners, which should help us a little bit, but in any case I think we shouldn't think about that too much and just get on with it.
Is it a specific front- or rear-end problem or just a basic lack of grip?
HK: Since the day we bolted these tyres on before Christmas, the balance between the teams shifted significantly and we haven't yet recovered from that well enough. We don't exactly know what the problem is with the tyres, but the feeling is not the same as last year and we have not been able to point out a single element that is wrong with the car. I think it is coming from many different things. We still have a strong team, with the same people that won championships last year, and a strong engine. We are looking at many different questions. When can we answer them? We can't say at the moment. We don't have any time scale, but we are working very hard.
Thanks, Heikki. Robert, it has been a very good start to the season for BMW Sauber, but what about your own start?
Robert Kubica: Not so good, really. I had one retirement and then finished last in Malaysia, which is not as we were expecting – or at least not what I was expecting.
Have the problems been solved?
RK: Well, there is a problem and I think everyone in our team realises there is a rear-axle problem, which we hope to resolve because it has cost me quite a lot of points in the opening two Grands Prix. I finished in Malaysia but at a really slow pace. The car was really difficult to drive – it wasn't possible to get it stopped before any of the corners. I couldn't make any apices and braking even 30 or 40 metres early was very difficult. In Australia I showed strong pace all race until my failure. I'm not worried about performance because Nick has shown the car's potential. In Malaysia I was the only one who could stay close to the pace of McLaren and Ferrari until qualifying, when we had a problem with our timing. The pace was there but we have some problems that need resolving.
How do you feel you have progressed as a driver since last year?
RK: It was quite difficult at the beginning of this season because of the switch to Bridgestone, because the tyres work differently. Set-up is different and the driving style is different, but I was very happy about our pace in Australia and Malaysia. Unfortunately, both races went in the wrong direction.
Jarno, is it fair to say that performances so far have been better than expected?
Jarno Trulli: Yeah, winter testing was a little bit difficult, as was last season, but nevertheless we are always positive and that's a help. In Australia and Malaysia we did quite a good job. We managed to get the best of the car and qualified two cars in the top 10 for both races, which was good, and we also scored points. We can be happy about the general job we've done, but obviously we need to look forward over the whole season and we need to develop the car if we want to get better results.
Is the team capable of a big step forward?
JT: Yes, I think it is capable. It has the potential and the resources are there. We need to see what we can do because the gap to the top teams is quite big and we need to close it. At the moment Ferrari and McLaren are at the top, then BMW is looking very strong, but Williams, Red Bull and ourselves are right behind and fighting hard. We are going to need to make a step if we want podium finishes.
What about Bahrain? Is it likely to be a good circuit for you?
JT: Statistically? No, it hasn't been such a good track. We didn't have such good pace in testing but we have to stay positive and see what we can do. We have to get the best out of the circumstances, qualify in the top ten and try to score some points. We are waiting for a big step in Barcelona, so we have to try very hard.
Lewis, you were clearly delighted to be second in the last race, but perhaps we didn't appreciate how much that took out of you. How exhausted were you at the end? What did you feel like in the press conference?
Lewis Hamilton: I felt fine once I got to the press conference. It was just extremely exhausting defending my second place. If you are on your own in the lead you have a slightly easier time than you do when you're trying to keep your position, especially when there are two extremely quick Ferraris behind you. It was extremely intense and by the end I'd run out of drinking water, so it was tough trying to stay ahead of Kimi. It was unlike any other race because it was extremely hot, but I'd prepared extremely well and had acclimatised to the hot weather for a couple of weeks. I felt quite emotional, I think. I'd worked extremely hard to get that position and to come away with it. Sometimes you might have it taken away from you and fortunately I didn't.
