Q: Can you start to think about the championship now?
"It's another step, another great step. One of our strengths I believe is that we keep our feet on the ground. It's been a fantastic start to the season, with a 100 per cent finishing record, but we have another 15 races to go. Anything can turn round. But I must complement everyone at Ferrari and all our partners for the job they've done, including the guys in the factory. The engine is fantastic, the car is fantastic, the tyres are fantastic. I feel happier I guess at the start of the season than I've ever done before."

Q: Were you surprised by your pace?
"I was surprised. I was surprised that we were so competitive, or that the competition wasn't stronger. I think perhaps the conditions favoured us with the weather, it wasn't very hot. The tyres were fantastic today."

Q: What did you think when your saw the poor weather in the morning – were you a bit worried about it being unpredictable?
"Obviously if it's unpredictable you don't necessarily get the results you deserve. But unpredictability gives opportunity as well, if it had been difficult. I think the way things went was perfect for us, because the track was a bit wet at the beginning, and the tyres worked very well then. And it was cool. So I couldn't have asked for better weather."

Q: If it had been 50-degrees would it have been marginal?
"I don't know. I discovered overnight that Juan Pablo was on the soft Michelins, which was interesting. I think you could see he was good at the beginning, and then he faded. So he would have probably have faded even more if it had been hotter. I'm not sure if it would have been a big problem, but certainly the conditions we had were perfect for the package we had."

Q: The strategy is getting a bit predictable – you're getting pole on relative low fuel, building a gap, and stopping very early…
"I did say that with these new regulations that after a year or so the strategies would become predictable. I guess that's where we've ended up. I don't know what we do about it. We have fuel for qualifying, and you have to keep the fuel load as low as you can. The guys have made great starts, and that's crucial. If we hadn't made great starts, we could have struggled."

Q: Are you surprised to see the opposition self destructing yet again?
"I am surprised, yes. I welcome it, obviously! But I don't think we can rely on that forever. We've got another 15 races, so definitely feet on the ground."

Q: Kimi retired for the third time – any sympathy for him?
"It's sad to see someone of his talent not being able to fight. But I think it will be good for his character. When he comes back he will be a stronger driver."

Q: What sort of steps do you have for Imola?
"We've got an important two weeks of testing, the first in Barcelona, and the second in Fiorano. Both race drivers are available, and that shows their level of commitment. We've got a useful step I believe for Imola, both in the tyres and in the car."

Q: You can't relax, because everyone else has got two weeks as well. Do you see them closing the gap?
"We're three races into an 18 race championship. There's no way we can ease back. You never ease back until the championship is won."

Q: Is Bridgestone in better shape than Michelin at the moment?
"I think it was a bit unfortunate, the criticism Bridgestone were getting over the winter, because they were quietly getting on with it and working on some issues. We had a construction programme, a compound programme, programmes with the shape of the tyres, and all that sort of thing. We didn't necessarily put everything together at once, but when we did, the tyre was very good. They had a bit of a hard time over the winter, so I'm glad that they're getting the credit now, because they're doing a great job."

Q: What was your overall impression of Bahrain?
"I think it's very good. We saw lots of good racing going on, lots of good overtaking. It's a fantastic facility, and I think the crowd had a good day. Ferrari won, and we've got lots of supporters here, and they saw some great racing going on."