Nico Hulkenberg is pumped and ready for his first Grand Prix with Renault Sport Formula One Team.

What's your feeling heading to the first race of the season?
Nico Hulkenberg: I love going to Australia and to Melbourne. I'm super-comfortable there as it's a wonderful place with great people and there's a very relaxed atmosphere. Albert Park itself is just beautiful, especially when you drive into the track in the morning and see that it's packed with fans - you get so much support there. It's great to see so many people come and watch what we do.

New season, new regulations, new cars, new team - what are your expectations?
NH: There's a lot that's new, but the game is still the same. I feel happy in my new home and there was a lot to learn over testing, whether it be new names and faces or a new steering wheel, but everything has been positive. Importantly, the new cars are bloody fast and a lot of fun!

The first race of the season is going to be very exciting. The cars are like driving a very fast and spectacular roller-coaster and it's a lot more demanding than before, now you have to wrestle these cars! The tyres allow you to push harder every lap, so you can exploit and be on the limit, it's a lot more work and a lot more demanding.

In terms of performance I see us in the midfield at the moment but the pace is good and from here we can improve step by step and work our way up. It's going to be a tough fight as there are some very fast and well established teams currently ahead of us, but we have everything we need to fight for points. It should be a good season.

What's Albert Park like as a track to race?
NH: The track itself is pretty cool, nice and challenging, and it's always the kick-off for the season and everyone's very excited to go and find out how the new cars are like to race. It's going to be faster so that's going to be an interesting aspect which is good for the drivers, but also great for the crowds too as they will be able to see with their bare eyes the difference from last year.

Sector two is probably my favourite part of the track after turns 3-4 there's the very quick right-hander where it is very narrow on the exit and there's no run-off area, then the following right hander also is bumpy on entry, underneath trees, with some nice kerbs, then into sector three is a very quick left hander which is pretty exciting too. It's a great track to race with some pretty fast sections even though it's a street course. You have a real feeling of being in the park when you go under the trees and there are some night technical challenges to catch out the unwary.

Any difference in approach for your first race of the season?
NH: Once you're sat in the car, on the grid and watching the lights, it's business as usual. Bring it on!

With a full F1 season now under his belt, Jolyon Palmer can't wait for the 2017 season to get underway at Albert Park.

What's your feeling heading to the first race of the year?
Jolyon Palmer: I'm feeling good and I can't wait to race the R.S.17 for a full Grand Prix. This new generation of car is really awesome to drive and we have a great opportunity to take a strong step forward during the season ahead. I enjoyed driving the car in pre-season testing as the team have addressed all the areas we needed to improve from the R.S.16, and when you add the improvements made to everything that comes with the new regulations it's a good place to be. I'm happy and positive and can't wait to race.

What do you think of Albert Park as a track?
JP: I drove it for the first time last year and I was a very happy man as it's exactly my type of circuit. The track has a semi-street feel to it, and these cars are bigger and much faster; it will be tough, but I think it's going to be an awesome first Grand Prix of the year. Albert Park is a pretty cool circuit, it's a bit bumpy and it has a decent challenge to it.

We had an awesome response when we arrived last year and I can't wait to hit town again. Australia is such a mega country with some really interesting characters and I had a really warm welcome last year.

How different is the team starting this season compared to twelve months ago?
JP: It's massively different and you can see all the improvements made in so many aspects. Last year's car did the job, but this year's is a real improvement in so many areas. It's great to see so much work and growth going on back at Enstone when I visit and I know there's a lot more to come. There's a great feeling in the team with everyone working together in the same direction. We've all grown and developed a lot since we were last in Albert Park and I hope that will show well when we take to the track.

What are your targets and aspirations for this race and the season ahead?
JP: It's great to be going into my second season as an F1 driver as I can use all my experience from last season. I know the tracks and I know what is possible from an F1 car. I want to be fighting for points whenever possible and I know that's the aim of the team too. I have a great crew around me and it's good to have Nico on board as I think we will work well together over the year. It's going to be really interesting for the first few races as we learn how our car goes in race conditions and see how competitive we are relative to our opposition.