Michael Schumacher:
"I am happy with the performance of the car which has matched our expectations after winter testing. But we should not read too much into the lap times, as it is too early to say if this is a true picture of the order among the teams: in fact, I doubt that it is. Today, we worked mainly on adapting the car's set-up for this circuit. I went off the track three times during the course of the day, which was mainly due to the wind, which was strong and not consistent and it can catch you out in terms of judging your braking point."

Rubens Barrichello:
"I am very happy with the car. We still have some more work to do on the set-up, but the car shows great potential. So I think there is more to come from it this weekend, which is encouraging. The car is still quite new for me, as I only got one and a half days running in it in dry conditions, so I am still learning. We went through our normal work schedule for a first day of free practice, keeping in mind the new rule regarding engines. We must not read too much into today's result, but it is a good way to start the season."

Ross Brawn:
"It was an eventful session, given that Michael went off the track this afternoon. The boys did a great job to get him out on track again towards the end. This year, we have to have made our tyre choice by Friday evening and we have enough information now to make that choice, even though this morning the track was quite "green." The tyre looks good and consistent and the car seems to be going okay."