F1 is here! Wednesday in Melbourne

Source: lotusf1team.com

After the seemingly wait which inevitably seems to follow pre-season testing, the team finally arrived in Melbourne for the first round of the Formula 1 World Championship at the Albert Park Circuit.

Perhaps we’re easily pleased, but there’s something about seeing people parading around in shorts at 7:30am that puts a smile on our faces. Even after an unusually mild weekend back at Enstone, nothing quite compares to Australia.

To add to the Aussie feel, our first task of hiring a car for the week brought us to the doors of a Holden Commodore – not quite of the same spec raced in the V8 series, but close enough to make the occasional bit of Hamilton-esque ‘hooning’ very tempting!

With Tuesday predominantly spent acclimatising to the time difference and catching up on some much needed sleep (unfortunately the in-flight entertainment had proven too tempting for a few moments rest on the journey over), Wednesday gave the first taste of what’s to come at Albert Park.

The venue itself is simply stunning, and with the Formula 1 circus thrown into the mix it makes for a pretty decent atmosphere to say the least. Walking through the paddock, the excitement levels are already starting to rise with the cars having yet to even turn a wheel. Each and every member of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation team seems to be buzzing with enthusiasm as they prepare to host the world’s greatest drivers.

While the support crew have been hard at work putting in all-night shifts to get the team facilities ready for action (a mammoth effort to say the least), the drivers were afforded a slightly later start today.

Kimi kicked off his week with a few interviews during the morning, arriving at the circuit in the early afternoon to catch up with the rest of the team:

Romain joined us later on, and headed straight out for a track walk with the engineers. Having not previously raced at Albert Park before, the Frenchman decided that one walk around the circuit wasn’t enough, and went off to fetch his trusty bike. All kitted up and ready to go, Romain set off down the pit lane, only to be refused entry to the track! Let’s hope that’s the only time that happens this week…

After a relatively relaxed start the event really begins to gather pace tomorrow, with a host of media calls, press conferences, photoshoots, autograph sessions, and charity events keeping the drivers busy before they jump in the cars for Free Practice 1 & 2 on Friday.

Photos – Australia GP 2012 Gallery: