Drivers: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes),
Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing), Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso),
Fernando Alonso (Ferrari),
Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) and
Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing).
Questions from the floor.
Q: (Livio Oricchio - O Estado de Sao Paulo).
To all drivers: during the winter tests tyre temperatures didn't go over 60 maximum Celsius and the temperatures here approach the temperatures indicated by Pirelli. Are you afraid that the handling of the car can be completely different to what you got in the winter tests?
Sebastian Vettel:
I think in winter testing we all suffered the same problem: the tyres didn't last. It was extremely difficult for us to do a lot of laps on the same set of tyres, to test certain things. We hope it gets better here. Otherwise it could be quite funny.
Fernando Alonso:
Nothing to add. Let's hope it's different than the tests, with the temperature.
Q:
The guys at the front, Daniel, probably have a touch more downforce on their car than the Toro Rosso. Do you feel the effect of the tyres that much extra in the midfield?
Daniel Ricciardo:
I don't know. We're probably not afraid of what the weekend is going to be. We're probably more excited. It was a little bit frustrating at times, so I think we're excited about what it's going to bring here, so I'm sure it's going to better. Looking forward to it more than anything else. There are still some answers that need to be found. We're all in the same boat, so I think that's going to make it exciting.
Q: (Gabriel Polychronis– F1plus.com).
This one is for you Mark. Do you feel that the recent criticism from Helmut Marko on your performances acts as a motivator for you to prove yourself throughout the season.
Mark Webber:
I've answered this question a few times in the last six weeks and as I said, he has his agenda and I'm not part of it, so that's fine. Everyone can have their opinions. I'm always pretty good for motivations.
Q:
It doesn't make your motivation any less though?
Mark Webber:
Of course not.
Q: (Ian Parkes – PA).
Sebastian, after winning three titles in a row now, coming into this season, how do you approach it? Is your motivation any different to the past three seasons when you've gone on to win the title? And if it isn't, how do you build yourself up, keep yourself going, keep yourself focussed.
Sebastian Vettel:
Well if there is a secret I think it's not to think about what happened the last three years. I think the first title was very, very special. After that I don't think you have that pressure any more. You've proved to yourself more than to anyone else that you can do so. After that obviously we had two fantastic years again. Very different to each other. But as I said, you probably don't think about what happened last year or the last three years. We are here, we have zero points on our side at the moment, the same as everyone else. So everyone has the same opportunities. The cars didn't really change. Last year we saw it was very close so I don't expect it to be any different that last year. If anything maybe a little bit tighter. So it will be crucial to make the most out of every single race – but in terms of motivation… it was a long flight but I'm happy to be here now and very pleased to start again.
Q: (Trent Price – Richland F1).