Watch Australian GP exclusively live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend; Qualifying at 6am on Saturday, Race at 5.10am on Sunday
Wednesday 11 March 2020 12:03, UK
Formula 1 is back. It's time to get excited for the Australian GP with our essential preview to the 2020 season-opener.
From the quotes from teams and drivers, to your Sky Sports F1 times for every session and show, we have you covered for the weekend.
There's also some must-watch features to look forward to...
Toto Wolff, Mercedes: "It's finally time go racing again and we're looking forward to the new season. The team has worked very hard to build a new car and we're excited to see what it can do when it's driven in anger. We managed to get through most of our programme as planned at the winter tests; however, we faced some reliability issues that we needed to resolve. We're glad that we encountered these issues in testing rather than at a race weekend as we could work on fixing them without any penalties."
Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari: "The first race of the season is always special and I think it will allow us to get a better idea than we had in testing as to what the hierarchy is between the teams."
Max Verstappen, Red Bull: "I feel good and we are pushing hard as a team. Honda are also pushing flat out. You always want improvements and they have made a lot since last year. The real bonus is that what they say they will deliver development-wise always happens and I'm confident that will be the case again this year. I believe we can move forward and get back to challenging like we did in the past. We have the right people in the team and I think we have everything we need to challenge, especially with the dedication from Honda. I'd like to start the season strong, because then it's really on but we won't know where we stand until Q2 and Q3 on Saturday in Melbourne, that's where all the hard work over the winter really counts."
Mattia Binotto, Ferrari: "After a long winter working on building and developing our car, the time has come to get a first indication of our performance level and how effective are the improvements we have introduced over the past few months. We know that the opposition is strong, but we also know that it is the start of a long season where development rate, reliability, and our operational effectiveness will be key. We are gearing up to tackle all these challenges as a united team, conscious of the progress that needs to be made and proud of the support of our fans worldwide. At what is a difficult time for Italy and the world as a whole, as part of a global sport, it is our obligation to try and put a smile on people's faces as they prepare to watch the first race of the season with the same sense of anticipation as ourselves."
Carlos Sainz, McLaren: "We got a good understanding of the car during the six days of testing, but you can never really be sure of where your competitors are until the first race. What I'm sure of is that we're ready for the challenge. The excitement of the fans, the atmosphere around the track and the tension before lights-out make for an amazing weekend. I'm looking forward to the first on-track battle of the season."
Cyril Abiteboul, Renault: "After a good end to pre-season testing in Barcelona, we head to Australia with ambition but with a hint of caution given the relative unknown of the competition level of our rivals. The first race is the time everyone on the grid shows their true hand."
Lando Norris, McLaren: "I can't wait to go racing again in Australia, this time with the benefit of a year's experience behind me. My rookie season got off to a good start there in 2019, but as always, I'm looking to improve wherever I can. I feel much more confident coming into this season than I did last year, and I'm really excited to get back in the car."
"We're lucky that we've got the opportunity to stage this big event." Australian GP chief executive Andrew Westacott tells Sky Sports News why the event is going ahead amid coronavirus concerns.
From racing with Mercedes to milk challenges with McLaren: Here's a taste of what we've got coming up on Sky Sports F1 this year.
"To whom it may concern...": A must-watch track guide with Valtteri Bottas, last year's Australian GP winner.
Sky Sports F1 is the only place to watch every minute of the action over the Australian GP weekend - as well as bringing you our exclusive shows such as The F1 Show and The Notebook.
And we're also debuting a brand new race day schedule for 2020 this weekend.
Your essential build-up will begin with Sunday Social at 3am, providing the perfect start to race day as we bring you the big stories from qualifying, plus interviews and all the colour from the paddock ahead of the race.
At 4am, it will then be time for our new Grand Prix Sunday show as our team of experts count down to lights out, featuring extensive analysis from the pit-lane, must-watch features, and Martin Brundle's Grid Walk.
Our team - including 2009 world champion Jenson Button, Paul Di Resta and Ted Kravitz - will be providing expert analysis from Melbourne over the weekend, and you can follow all the action on Sky Sports F1.
Why Lewis Hamilton begins his search for a seventh world title on the edge of ultimate F1 greatness
