Rosberg's first Aussi

It was another disappointing race for the Williams F1 Team in Australia as both race drivers, Nico Rosberg and Mark Webber, had to retire at Albert Park in Melbourne. Here follows the race of rookie Nico Rosberg.

Nico Rosberg "Unfortunately it was a disappointing time in Australia. It could have been a good weekend, especially in the race because there were so many incidents. It was certainly action-packed but there was a real opportunity for Mark [Webber] and me to score some points.

The accident which took me out was pretty unfortunate. The car was good and I was in a good position and the two guys [Felipe Massa and Christian Klein] went into each other and just hit me up the back and over the rear wing. There wasn’t a lot I could do really. I could see it happening in my mirror, but I had nowhere to go so that was it.

You never really get scared in those racing situations, although maybe at first I was a bit afraid that the car might fly into my head, but in the end it wasn’t a problem. It’s not like you have time to think because it happens so fast. Sometimes you have accidents where everything happens in slow motion, but that wasn’t the case with this one – it was all over very quickly.

Qualifying 14th wasn’t as high as it could have been mainly because I had lots of traffic. You only have a few laps to make it count, and the problem is that it’s difficult to raise the temperature of the tyres, so if you slow down to get some space on the track and leave a gap to the car in front, then you’re not going to be able to set a time because the tyres are cold by then.

Albert Park was another new circuit for me and it’s never easy to learn a new track, especially if you only have a few laps during practice because you are trying to save your engine. But by the time we got to qualifying and I was running with low fuel and new tyres, I felt pretty comfortable. It’s quite an interesting track, which is essentially a street circuit, but then you have gravel traps and run-offs like more permanent tracks. It’s an interesting mix.

With neither Mark or myself scoring points in the last two races, it’s tough after we had such a good start in Bahrain. Everyone in the team feels it, but we have really good pace and that’s what keeps everyone going.

With F1 of course there is a lot of media interest, but it doesn’t really create any extra pressure for me, it’s just about getting used to it. It takes away your energy, but then that’s just what it’s like. With people talking about me and other teams it makes me proud, in a sense, because after two races to have people notice me is a really positive thing and it’s the best thing that can happen, because as a young driver you’re trying to establish yourself. But I just want to concentrate on doing the best job I can with Williams.

We have a three week gap now until San Marino with a two day test at Vallelunga and a three day test at Barcelona in between. And then it’s off to Imola, which is a track I know, which should help me next time out."