Honda drivers thrilled to be in Oz
After a solid start to the 2006 season, with a fourth and a third position putting Jenson Button joint second in the Drivers’ Championship, everyone at the team is looking forward to another successful weekend at the Albert Park street circuit in Melbourne.
Jenson Button is predicting another good showing from Honda. “Australia is a race that I always enjoy and having had a couple of races already this season, I think Melbourne is going to be even more special as we understand already who is quick and who isn't. Usually we don’t know who is going to be competitive when Melbourne is the first race of the season. It’s a beautiful city and I always enjoy travelling there very much.
"I'll be spending some time in Sydney before the race as well, working on my training and fitness but also taking some time to relax. The Albert Park street circuit is great for drivers but also for the fans as they can get that much closer to the action. We’ll be hoping to build on the podium finish in Malaysia and using some of the developments from the test last week, I’m sure that we will have another strong race.”
The team returned to the test track last week with a three-day test at the Vallelunga circuit in Italy. Rubens Barrichello, Anthony Davidson and James Rossiter had a successful test, despite rain, and put some new developments on the RA106 race car through their paces in preparation for the Australian Grand Prix and the upcoming European season.
“Despite the weather, we achieved some good work at the Vallelunga test last week and I was encouraged by the new ideas that we tested. So I’m really looking forward to getting to Melbourne, our car seems to be strong in all areas at the moment, and I think we should enjoy the weekend,” Barrichello enthused.
“I really enjoy the Australian Grand Prix and it is certainly one of my favourite races on the calendar. The Australian people are so relaxed, always helpful and smiling, it reminds me of Brazil really. Melbourne is a fantastic place to be based but what I like most about the weekend is the race track with its great combination of corners.
