Jenson Button, McLaren-Mercedes:
“I'm really looking forward to getting into my car on Friday morning in Bahrain and knowing that I'm the world champion. It's a responsibility and an honour – but it's something I'm going to enjoy for as long as I can. I don't want to lose that number from my car! My winter has been an incredible learning experience – joining Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has provided me with exactly the sort of challenge I needed. I have put every effort into working with the team, my engineers and learning about my car to ensure that we start the season in Bahrain in the best possible shape.

“Even after four weeks of testing, it's incredibly difficult to predict the order ahead of the new season. There are a number of teams and drivers who appear to be in the hunt, and, as with the start of every new season, it will be fascinating to see who emerges as the team to beat. I've never known a team work as hard as we have done over the winter – I've spent more time with my engineers this winter than I have before any other season, and I feel very comfortable about my preparations.”

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes:
“I can't believe the winter's over already – it seems like only yesterday when I was racing in Abu Dhabi. It's been a winter of two halves for me: before Christmas, I really focused on my fitness and training, working away to be as ready as possible for the new season. Since January, I've been fully focused on working with the team, testing the car and improving our package ahead of the opening race of the year.

“There's been a huge workload, but it's been fantastic to work with Jenson and the engineers to improve MP4-25, and we're all extremely pleased with the progress we've made and the direction we've taken. I think we have a very promising car beneath us: it's a real change of direction for us, and I think the possibilities with this car are very exciting. Now, though, it's all about the racing – once I put my crash helmet on and pull the visor down, I know more than anything that I'm ready to go racing.”

Michael Schumacher, Mercedes:
“Finally the season will start! I feel like a child looking forward to Christmas. The decision to make my comeback feels like a long time ago now and I can hardly wait for the season to get underway in Bahrain. It's funny to think that I will be competing in Formula One again when just a few months ago, I would have declined the opportunity categorically. But sometimes things change and the right circumstances come together. I feel fresher than I have for many years. I am perfectly prepared physically and most importantly, my energy is back completely. When I retired from racing in 2006, my batteries were simply empty. Now they are totally recharged and I am ready for the challenge.

“It is the competition at the highest level that only Formula One offers which has provided the temptation for me. It is always difficult to predict the form in pre-season testing, this year more than ever, but the final test in Barcelona proved to us that we should be competitive. We know that we will have more new parts in Bahrain which should bring extra performance to the car. It's important to be in the leading group from the start of the season and I am confident that we will be there.”

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes:
“The build-up to a new Formula One season is always an exciting time, particularly when you have a new team to settle into and a brand new car to get used to. It has been a really nice process integrating into Mercedes GP Petronas. Everyone has been very welcoming and I feel very much at home here already. Our pre-season testing programme has gone pretty well in February. We did have some concerns that we were not able to find the right direction to extract the maximum potential from the car but by working hard, we were able to find our way and ended testing on a high. We also have a good upgrade coming for Bahrain which should develop the car further and so I am quite optimistic that we will do well. Bahrain is a track which I really enjoy so it should be a good start to the season all in all.”

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari:
“I know that there are great expectations from our fans for this start of the Championship. I can confirm that I feel that we are well prepared. The team has worked with great attention and dedication, and we could see the results: we've demonstrated a good level of reliability and also performance is on a level with the best. The F10 is an excellent car: I've said that several times; for me it's the best car I've driven so far. This doesn't mean that it necessarily is the best overall car and that we'll win the title. What we could see during the tests is that there's a great balance: a small bit is enough to make the difference – positive or negative. What's for sure is that we'll give it our all for a proper start of this Championship: this is my promise to all of you.”

Rubens Barrichello, Williams-Cosworth:
“I'm delighted to be entering my eighteenth season. I'm so motivated and I'm in a much better physical condition than I have been at any other time. I'm also really happy to be driving for AT&T Williams. I've settled in well, and I already feel like I've been here five years!

“We covered a lot of miles with the car during winter testing, working on reliability during the first few tests and then some upgrades for Bahrain at the final two. In terms of set-up, reliability and drivability of the engine, we've done a good job. The car has improved a lot and the team have done well preparing me so I'm completely familiar with everything heading into the first race.

“I think we're strong, I'm optimistic, but it is very hard to draw a conclusion as to where we are so I'm going to wait and see. It's going to be a fantastic season with the new teams, the new drivers and the new regulations.”

Nico Hülkenberg, Williams-Cosworth:
“Being a Formula One driver is a great feeling and I'm very excited about going to Bahrain. I learnt a lot as the team's test driver, which has prepared me well for the season ahead. Working in the factory has also helped give me more of a technical understanding of the car, it won't make me quicker, but it will help me with set-up.

“Winter testing was good for us. Having completed a good amount of mileage, we are well placed going into the season. The Cosworth engine is also looking strong; it's powerful and reliable. We have potential, but we have to wait to see where the competition is. It's going to be an exciting season and I can't wait to start it!”

Robert Kubica, Renault:
“t's difficult to judge performance, but we're heading in the right direction. We also haven't run with all our new updates yet and there is another aero upgrade for Bahrain, which we hope will match the wind tunnel predictions and improve performance. Overall, it seems that all the top teams are quite close, but some have definitely hidden their full potential during testing and will also have more updates for Bahrain. So far, I think Ferrari and Mercedes look very strong.

“Bahrain is a circuit that requires good braking stability and traction. There are no real high-speed corners so the set-up work focuses more on the mechanical side.”

Vitaly Petrov, Renault:
“I know the track and raced on the old layout in GP2, but obviously the new section is a new challenge for all the drivers. I don't think about whether I enjoy tracks: all that matters to me is that the car works well and we can find a good balance. Bahrain is all about braking performance and, with the heavy fuel loads, this will be very challenging because it will be easy to lock a wheel and flat-spot your tyres early in the race.”

Adrian Sutil, Force India-Mercedes:
“Hopefully [we can finish] in the top ten and I think that should be possible. I would hope we could score a few points. For everything else, it is very difficult to say what else will happen, but I am fine with any position within the top 10 - that's my goal for the moment.”

Vitantonio Liuzzi, Force India-Mercedes:
“For the first race we want to show that our winter work has paid off. Points are our target for the time being and getting into the top ten, as high as possible. Being realistic, a few points should be feasible and hopefully everything goes as well as in testing with good reliability for the first race.”

Jarno Trulli, Lotus-Cosworth:
“It would be nice to score a point, but it is not going to be easy. We have to be realistic.”

Karun Chandhok, HRT-Cosworth:
“I am really looking forward to my F1 debut this weekend. It will also be the first time I will be driving the new HRT F1 car so I can't wait to get my hands on it. Fortunately I have driven in Bahrain before in GP2 so that will help the learning process a bit! I was on the front row in 2008 and was very competitive when I was back here in 2009, so I've got pretty good knowledge of the circuit. However, F1 is a completely different ballgame and we will have a tough challenge in front of us.

“I have spent time back in Europe with the guys in the factory and it is great to see that the whole team is very motivated about our first race together. Finishing the race will be a fantastic achievement for a team put together so late and the objective here will be to get as many miles under my belt as possible. I am overwhelmed by the support I have been getting back home in India and want to thank the media and the F1 fans. There are a lot of Indians who live in Bahrain and I hope to see some good support at the circuit over the weekend!”

Bruno Senna, HRT-Cosworth:
“I've been to Bahrain twice, one time in GP2 in 2007 then in GP2 Asia in 2008. I had a great result in 2007 with Arden International, qualifying fifth and finishing fourth, which was great considering it was my first ever GP2 race. Bahrain is difficult because the track is usually very dirty to start with and improves all the time all the way to the end of the race, so the car set-up is very challenging. Also the sand in the air makes it very dry and the track can be quite slippery, which is another challenge when we are also dealing with the high temperatures.

“I hope that we can put the car on the track and sort out as many teething issues as possible during our first weekend, the car's track debut. My goal is to do everything I can to bring the car home to the chequered flag and set a good benchmark for the rest of our season. We'll certainly focus on the reliability side of things first and from then on, focus on performance.”

Pedro de la Rosa, BMW Sauber-Ferrari:
“I have good memories of Bahrain. In 2005 when I had to jump in I scored the fastest race lap. In 2007 I was there for two days of testing. However, I think the new section which is added to the infield will make it an all new track, because it means we have to adapt the downforce level. The best aspect of the circuit is that you can overtake. There are three long straights with each followed by a corner where you have to brake really hard. We will have good racing there, I think, and all I want is to fight because this is what I missed most.

“It is difficult to tell yet which track will be good for our car. In any case it will be very interesting to see how the strategies unfold, and how the teams will react to each other's strategy in the race. Due to the fact that refuelling isn't allowed anymore, the team can influence the outcome a lot more. After we have had four good tests on three different circuits I feel very confident for the season's start. I covered a lot of mileage with the team and we learnt a lot. Bahrain will mark my return to racing and I can't wait.”

Kamui Kobayashi, BMW Sauber-Ferrari:
“I won two GP2 Asia races in Bahrain in 2008 and 2009 and I have been testing there in Formula One in 2009. I like the fact that the season starts on a circuit I know so well. The track is quite nice, I like every corner and now we get some more of them. The track has a lot of stop-and-go corners and I really enjoy that style, while I also think it will suit our car. During the tests I learnt a lot and I'm training hard. I definitely feel ready for the start of the season and I'm also looking forward to the usual good weather in Bahrain, as I really like it warm.”

Timo Glock, Virgin-Cosworth:
“Pre-season testing has been pretty eventful for our team. We saw some very positive signs of the potential of the car and the team, but we also experienced some reliability issues and too much rain, the combination of which prevented us from maximising our track time. However, if I stand back and look at what we have built together in the space of only nine months, we should all feel pretty proud.

“Here we are, heading into our first race and I'm very excited. We're as ready as we can be. We're a small team but we have the resources and people to keep building something special together and that is what we must all keep in mind as we progress. We have some great team members at Virgin Racing who know what it takes to be quick and what we have to do to get to where we want to be. Our objective remains to be the best of the new teams and that particular race starts this weekend.”

Lucas Di Grassi, Virgin-Cosworth:
“It's very exciting to be here at last, ready to take part in our debut Grand Prix. It's also my own personal F1 debut which definitely makes this weekend the high point of my career. I'd like to thank everybody in the team for the hard work and determination that we have all seen, especially over the past few weeks in pre-season testing. It hasn't always gone our way but the team have fought hard and their spirits are high. Bahrain will be a tough challenge for sure. We will need to learn how to get the maximum out of the car in race weekend conditions.”