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How’s your broken leg, Mark? Do the after-effects of this injury hinder you in the Formula 1 cockpit?

The leg is healing, and my focus since I had the accident in November was to be ready for Melbourne. Testing has gone well and answered a lot of questions for me – I didn’t feel any physical effects while driving. I can’t run a marathon yet, but then I don’t need to. I need to be able to drive a Formula 1 race, which I comfortably can.

How does a Formula 1 driver spend the last few days and weeks before the beginning of the season? How do you spend this time?

As Australia is the first race, I usually try and fly out there the weekend prior to the race so I can spend some time with family and friends in Queanbeyan. I only get back once or twice a year now, so it’s good to catch up with people. This year, I spent the week between the final test in Barcelona and travelling to Australia on the Canary Islands at a training camp with my physio, Roger Cleary, and human conditioning legend Bernie Shrosbree.

Apart from 2006, Australia has represented the traditional start to the season since 1996. What expectations do you have of your home-turf race?

I often wish Australia weren’t the first race on the calendar as we always go to Melbourne with so many unknowns, and this season there’ll be more than ever after the form book was thrown out the window in pre-season testing. It would be nice to turn up at Albert Park with the car proven and reliable with lots of race mileage under its belt. That said, the Australian Grand Prix is the best-organized race of the year and the majority of F1 people seem to like going there, so it’s a good place to kick off and set the tone for the new season, and there’s always a good buzz about the place. Of course, I’d love to be on the podium in Melbourne, it would be the icing on the cake and a great way of thanking the fans for their support over the years.

What’s the key stretch for a fast lap on the Albert Park circuit?

Braking is very important for a quick lap time in Melbourne as there are a lot of big stops and if your car is stable on the brakes, this generates good lap times.

With four World Championship titles and 26 Grand Prix victories, Australia is one of the more successful nations in the Formula 1 circus. But the last successes were more than 25 years ago. When do you think we can expect the next Australian Grand Prix winner?

I think we’re more than overdue for another Australian GP winner, and of course, I’d love to deliver it for the country. It’s hard for Aussies to make it to Formula 1. There’s very little financial support available to young drivers wishing to pursue an international single-seater career. Most youngsters these days are happy to move from Formula Ford straight into V8 touring cars, which have a huge following in Australia and can provide a decent life-style and wage for a good pedaller. The ones who are determined to follow an international career have to be prepared to slog it out in Europe for many years.

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Article Details

Date

Mar 20, 2009

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