Red Bull duo welcome trouble-free day

The Australian, who along with team-mate Sebastian Vettel had been hit be problems in both practice sessions in Melbourne last week, managed a full programme on his way to the fifth fastest time of the day.

"Today was a lot better for us in terms of reliability than Friday in Melbourne, so it was a big step forward," said Webber. "Both cars ran well and obviously it's a big challenge for the cars around here with the heat, so that's good.

"We got all of our programme completed in plenty of time. Performance wise, we're not too bad here.

"We have a bit of work to do tonight, but in general it was a pretty good day for the team and for me."

Vettel, third fastest, was also pleased with his day's work after managing to complete several laps.

"Today went well, with smooth running," said Vettel. "We ran through our programme, did a lot of laps and got a lot of information about our tyres. There were no major problems with either car, so it was a good day."