AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX PRACTICE

MELBOURNE – Seb and Dan were the fourth and sixth fastest drivers during this afternoon's Practice 2 session here in Australia.

SEBASTIAN VETTEL

First Practice Session: Position: 7, Best Time: 1:32.793, Laps: 10

'In a way it's a relief today, the fact that we were running, we didn't have any problems, the balance was good and the performance looked alright. In the end Friday times are not worth a lot, but it's better to be close to the top rather than somewhere towards the back, so I'm very happy with that. We will do what we can to prepare for tomorrow and Sunday, but let's see where we are then – the most important thing is that we finish.'

DANIEL RICCIARDO

First Practice Session: Position: 5, Best Time: 1:32.538, Laps: 38

Second Practice Session: Position: 6, Best Time: 1:30.020, Laps: 35

'I knew the guys were doing everything they could since testing but still, we didn't expect to do that many laps today, so I'm really happy and pleased for them. I think we have to be pretty positive with where we ended up today. We expected Mercedes to be quickest, but we were within a second of them today so that's a lot better than we thought. Let's see if it's the same story after qualifying tomorrow, but for today we're pleased.'

Practice Session 2 - Final Standings

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1m29.625s (37 Laps)

2. Nico Rosberg - 1m29.782s (+0.157s) (31 Laps)

3. Fernando Alonso -1m30.132s (+0.507s) (28 Laps)

4. Sebastian Vettel - 1m30.381s (+0.756s) (41 Laps)

5. Jenson Button - 1m30.510s (+0.885s) (33 Laps)

6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1m30.538s (+0.913s) (38 Laps)

7. Kimi Raikkonen - 1m30.898s (+1.273s) (32 Laps)

8. Valtteri Bottas - 1m30.920s (+1.295s) (38 Laps)

9. Kevin Magnussen - 1m31.031s (+1.406s) (34 Laps)

10. Nico Hulkenberg - 1m31.054s (+1.429s) (33 Laps)

11. Jean-Eric Vergne - 1m31.060s (+1.435s) (35 Laps)

12. Felipe Massa - 1m31.119s (+1.494s) (31 Laps)

13. Sergio Perez -1m31.283s (+1.658s) (36 Laps)

14. Adrian Sutil - 1m32.355s (+2.730s) (36 Laps)

15. Esteban Gutierrez - 1m32.468s (+2.843s) (26 Laps)

16. Daniil Kvyat - 1m32.495s (+2.870s) (36 Laps)

17. Jules Bianchi - 1m33.486s (+3.861s) (29 Laps)

18. Romain Grosjean - 1m33.646s (+4.021s) (12 Laps)

19. Max Chilton - 1m34.757s (+5.132s) (29 Laps)

20. Marcus Ericsson (1 Lap)

21. Pastor Maldonado (0 Laps)

22. Kamui Kobayashi (0 Laps)

Practice Session 1 - Final Standings

1. Fernando Alonso - 1m31.840s (20 Laps)

2. Jenson Button - 1m32.357s (+0.517s) (23 Laps)

3. Valtteri Bottas - 1m32.403s (+0.563s) (27 Laps)

4. Felipe Massa -1m32.431s (+0.591s) (19 Laps)

5. Daniel Ricciardo - 1m32.599s (+0.759s) (26 Laps)

6. Nico Rosberg -1m32.604s (+0.764s) (17 Laps)

7. Sebastian Vettel - 1m32.793s (+0.953s) (10 Laps)

8. Kevin Magnussen -1m32.847s (+1.007s) (28 Laps)

9. Kimi Raikkonen - 1m32.977s (+1.137s) (18 Laps)

10. Jean-Eric Vergne - 1m33.446s (+1.606s) (30 Laps)

11. Nico Hulkenberg -1m33.533s (+1.693s) (23 Laps)

12. Sergio Perez - 1m33.855s (+2.015s) (24 Laps)

13. Daniil Kvyat - 1m34.272s (+2.432s) (27 Laps)

14. Esteban Gutierrez -1m35.578s (+3.738s) (7 Laps)

15. Adrian Sutil -1m36.445s (+4.605s) (13 Laps)

16. Jules Bianchi - 1m40.859s (+9.019s) (6 Laps)

17. Max Chilton - 1m46.922s (+15.082s) (4 Laps)

18. Marcus Ericsson (1 Lap)

19. Lewis Hamilton (1 Lap)

20. Kamui Kobayashi (1 Lap)

21. Pastor Maldonado (2 Laps)

22. Romain Grosjean (0 Laps)

Pre-Race Quotes

Daniel Ricciardo

'I'm very, very excited about the new season. It's always good fun going to Melbourne. It's a great city and I like racing on street circuits. The Albert Park track is very bumpy and you have to contend with all the road markings – when it's wet those are very slippery! It also has some really good changes of direction with right-left, right-left turns in rapid succession. Full-time racing circuits tend to be very smooth and have plenty of grip. You don't get that with a street circuit. At the start of the weekend they're pretty dirty and gradually they clean up as cars sweep the racing line and put down rubber in the braking zones. It's nice to feel the track evolve underneath your car and know that it's going to get quicker throughout each session. Albert Park always tends to be a pretty exciting race. It's great that Australia has a grand prix and a source of pride that it's everybody's choice to kick-start the season. If we went to Malaysia or Bahrain for the first race then I'd be able to ease into my career with Infiniti Red Bull Racing but in Oz, I assume the weekend will be right up there in my face! I'll enjoy it and hopefully use the positive energy of the crowd to give me a good result.'

Sebastian Vettel

'It's great to be starting the season next week. We didn't do as much running as we would have liked in testing this year, so we have work to do in Melbourne, but it will be good to get to the first race. It's hard to know where we are; it's fair to say that we're not the favorites to win and we have to catch up with others that have completed more mileage, but we'll do our best with the great people that we have working for the team. We have achieved a lot together and I know everyone is working flat out as normal. It's a good event to start the season and there's always a great atmosphere. We often have unpredictable weather in Melbourne and on Sunday we have a later race start than at other events. Looking to the track, Turn 12 is important and fast and I like the start into the Jones chicane, where the track is very narrow. Formula One racing is something that I love and I can't wait to get going.'

About Infiniti

Infiniti Motor Company Ltd. is headquartered in Hong Kong with sales operations in approximately 50 countries. The Infiniti brand was launched in 1989. Its range of premium automobiles is currently built in manufacturing facilities in Japan and the United States. Production in China and Europe will start soon along with the expansion of the brand's portfolio.

As the Title Partner and Vehicle Performance Partner of Infiniti Red Bull Racing, Infiniti has a far-reaching technical collaboration with the Formula One team, and Sebastian Vettel, its four-time World Champion driver, serves as Infiniti's Director of Performance.

More information about Infiniti, its Total Ownership Experience® and its industry leading technologies can be found at www.infiniti.com. For the latest news on Infiniti, visit InfinitiNews.com, 'like' Infiniti on Facebook or follow the brand on Twitter @InfinitiUSA. For interesting content on Infiniti in Formula One visit: www.infiniti-gp.com, www.youtube.com/InfinitiGP or follow on Twitter @InfinitiGP.

About Infiniti in Formula One

Infiniti, the premium automotive brand, starts the 2013 season as Title Partner and Vehicle Performance Partner of Infiniti Red Bull Racing. With a deepened technical collaboration across people, process and technologies, an 'open door' approach is enabling both sides to access a pool of innovation, new technologies and R&D resources in the shared pursuit of precision and performance.

Since the partnership's inception in 2011 it has already seen the launch of the Infiniti FX Vettel Edition and product development input from Sebastian Vettel and test driver Sebastien Buemi for the all-new Infiniti Q50 premium sports saloon. Infiniti continues to be the most visible automotive brand in Formula One, and the deepened partnership will ensure closer alignment on an increasing number of future team collaborations.

For interesting content on Infiniti in Formula One visit: www.infiniti-gp.com, www.youtube.com/InfinitiGP or follow on Twitter @InfinitiGP.

posted on conceptcarz.com

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