McLaren preview Australian Grand Prix

McLaren preview the forthcoming Australian Grand Prix, Round 1 of the 2015 Formula 1 world championship, at Albert Park in Melbourne.

Jenson Button: "Melbourne means the same thing every year: racing! After a long winter of preparation, it’s always good to see the lights go out and get the season underway. It’ll be fascinating to see how we stack up against the opposition."

Kevin Magnussen: "Although the circumstances are not ideal, I’m thrilled to be racing in Australia. It’s a race that I have fond memories of from last year and I’m excited to see what the MP4-30 can do around Albert Park. The car felt a step forward from last year when I drove it in testing."

Circuit lowdown

Albert Park, situated in the southern suburbs of Melbourne, hosts its 20th Australian Grand Prix in 2015. The track runs in a clockwise direction around a lake and it has a relatively slow average speed, being made up of predominantly second and third-gear corners.

This being the only race weekend of the year at the circuit, the asphalt is very slippery to begin with. Conditions improve as Pirelli’s soft and medium-compound tyres leave their mark and grip levels usually become consistent by the end of Friday practice.

There’s one change to the schedule from previous years: the 58-lap race will start at 16:00 (05:00GMT), which is one hour earlier than last season.