Good start for McLaren

Team McLaren Mercedes drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya finished seventh and ninth overall following today's two practice sessions for the 2006 Australian Grand Prix. Kimi's fastest time was 1:27.773 and he completed 21 laps whilst Juan Pablo set a time of 1:28.200 and completed 16 laps of the Albert Park circuit.

Kimi Raikkonen "A good start to the weekend where we went through everything we wanted to including our tyre evaluation with Michelin. It was a bit cooler than we expected but no problems, and I guess the temperature will stay pretty much the same for the rest of the weekend. I had a small off at one point which is what happens sometimes when you try different things, and I'm expecting the track surface to improve further as more cars run."

Juan Pablo Montoya "We completed our planned programme with no problems, and I'm pleased with the data we have achieved from our Michelin tyre evaluation. However, we still have to see how everything develops during this weekend once the track gets more grip."

Ron Dennis "A trouble free start to the Australian Grand Prix weekend where we achieved our objectives. The variable track conditions make setting up the cars somewhat more difficult but generally we are pleased with today's outcome."

Norbert Haug "A productive first practice day during which we worked on the race set-up and completed our programme as planned. Everything is OK so far."