Australia Friday quotes: McLaren

Fernando Alonso - 7th: "I'm really pleased to have started my first Grand Prix weekend with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes today. The weather conditions with the rain and the wind made things a bit tricky but we now have a good basis for the work ahead of us tomorrow

"We almost completed the planned programme but the track conditions in the first session obviously had an impact. We are heading in the right direction which is positive and I'm looking forward to the next two days."

Lewis Hamilton - 3rd: "I was so excited when I drove out of the garage for the first time this morning - it was an incredible feeling as I have wanted to be a Formula One driver since I started karting and now I am and enjoying every single moment.

"The track is good particularly as I love street circuits and the whole atmosphere is amazing. Back at the McLaren Technology Centre we have done a lot of simulation work to prepare me for this weekend but it was good to actually drive it for real. The car feels good and the two sessions today were really useful."

Ron Dennis: "A good start for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team and our two new drivers. We completed the planned programme in the second session with our main focus on tyre evaluation, but the red flag interruption did affect our progress. Both practice sessions were trouble-free so we can look forward to the rest of the weekend."

Norbert Haug: "Our speed doesn't look bad for the beginning. Now the challenge is to achieve the consistency over a race distance with both types of tyres."