The knock-out qualifying format trialled and welcomed in 2006 remains in place for 2007, while race distances remain unchanged over previous seasons.
NEWS FROM THE TEAMS:
McLaren – Fernando Alonso (#1), Lewis Hamilton (#2):
A Schumacher-less ferrari aside, McLaren will probably attract the greatest attention in Melbourne, although it is difficult to predict which of its drivers will be the focus.
Having decided to pair world champion Alonso with rookie GP2 champion Hamilton, both sides of the garage have their attractions for the fans and the media, and the pace both have shown in testing has only served to heighten the expectation. Melbourne will be the first race for the 'new' Vodafone-backed McLaren team, and Ron Dennis' operation is keen to banish memories of a 2006 campaign that failed to yield a single win - somewhat ironic given that it is carrying the #1 plate this year.
“At the start of the season, we have a lot of new things to offer," Mercedes' Norbert Haug said, "Champion of the last two years,
Fernando Alonso, is now driving for our team, while Lewis Hamilton is a very talented young man who as an up-and-coming driver has been an integral part of our system for almost ten years. The team’s new title sponsor, Vodafone, is a great partner and a global player, which has the same objectives as we do.
"However, prior to the start of the season, ‘new’ does not mean untried, as the team has tested more intensively than ever before and has completed more test kilometres than before every other season opener so far. During the past six months, the technicians and mechanics for both chassis and engines had to cope with great challenges, and their efforts to prepare for a successful season were as exemplary as the work of test and race teams during the 19 test days between 17 January in Valencia and 1 March in Bahrain. It’s obvious what would be the best reward for all these efforts and it would be even better to receive it already in the first race of the season in Melbourne.”
