The 2019 Formula One season kicks off this weekend with the Australian GP. This will be the first race for the new ROKiT Williams Racing team. The team comes into this race weekend with a new look and a new driver line-up. Robert Kubica has moved into a full-time race seat having served as the team’s Reserve Driver last year. The Melbourne race will see Robert return after an eight-year absence. Joining him is young British talent and current FIA Formula 2 Champion George Russell, who begins his Formula One career by making his debut in Melbourne.
After an intense winter, the 2019 FIA
Formula One World Championship is officially about to get underway! The
season kicks off this weekend at Australia’s Melbourne Grand Prix
Circuit with ROKiT Williams Racing heading into 2019 with a new look, a
new driver line-up, and renewed energy. Robert Kubica has stepped up
into a full-time race seat having served as the team’s Reserve Driver
last year, and the Pole will complete a remarkable return to the grid
after an eight-year absence on race day down under. He is accompanied by
young British talent and current FIA Formula 2 Champion George Russell,
who begins his Formula One career by making his debut in Melbourne.
Dave Robson, Senior Race Engineer:
Melbourne is a fantastic location for the first race of the new season
and it will be great to get into a warmer climate following winter
testing in Europe. It is an exciting season ahead with the effect of the
new rules in aerodynamics, which we hope will deliver not only closer
racing but also a closer grid. For us, it has taken a huge amount of
work by everyone on Grove to prepare enough parts, to get all our
procedures in place, and ensure that the drivers are in the best
possible position to start the competition. The first race is always one
of the most interesting as we see the real order of performance for the
first time. In terms of the circuit itself, it is quite an unusual track
where it can be quite bumpy, and tough on the brakes. It places a lot of
demands on the car’s handling as well as the drivers’ stamina but also
requires a lot of the aerodynamics, with the exciting high-speed chicane
at T11/12 being especially demanding. It is a good test of both the
drivers and the cars, but it can throw up some unusual results. Finally,
we wish all our fans a great start to the season.
Robert Kubica:
It will be a very emotional Grand Prix. It is the second debut for me
after being away from the sport for many years. My last Formula One race
was in Abu Dhabi 2010, so I am looking forward to going to Australia
with a few things to cover and learn. I hope to enjoy the weekend and
that everything will run smoothly without any big issues so I can
concentrate on my driving and discover a new Formula One. It is one
thing to drive a Formula One car, and it is another thing to actually
race it. Over the years, I think the approach to races has changed, so I
have a lot of things to discover but I am looking forward to it.
George Russell:
I am extremely excited for Melbourne. It will be my first race in
Formula One and it is a dream come true. It will be a very proud and
extremely surreal moment for me standing on the starting grid with
everybody preparing for the race, and I am really looking forward to the
whole experience. I am going to make sure that I enjoy it, won’t take it
for granted and make the most of it. I have never been to Australia
before, so I am going out there earlier to get used to the weather, the
time difference and see the city a little bit before starting work
properly on the Tuesday before the race. All in all I am really looking
forward to the whole experience.
Race Data Friday:
Practice 1: 12:00 - 13:30
Practice 2: 16:00 - 17:30 Saturday:
Practice 3: 14:00 - 15:00
Qualifying: 17:00 – 18:00 Sunday: Race: 16:10
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