For Stoffel Vandoorne, the excitement of embarking this weekend on his first full season of Formula 1 largely exceeds the niggles of driving an uncompetitive car.
The Belgian will actually line up on an F1 grid for the second time in his career, having done his baptism of fire in Bahrain last year and collected a world championship point in the process.
Melbourne can't come soon enough for the 24-year-old who has now reached his first milestone: to become a fully fledged Grand Prix driver!
"Since my position as full-time racing driver for McLaren-Honda was confirmed back in September, it feels like the Australian Grand Prix weekend has been a long time coming," said the 2015 GP2 champion.
"It’s a great feeling knowing that I’m about to start my full first season in Formula 1 and it’s a dream I’ve been working towards for my entire racing career.
"I’m looking forward to stepping into the MCL32 cockpit on Friday morning and I feel totally ready for the challenge ahead.
"I’ve prepared very well over the winter, worked a lot on my training and in particular my strength and endurance, and I’m incredibly motivated to work hard with the team to make improvements step by step.
"I’ll be pushing hard as always and I’m looking forward to getting back into the car."
McLaren-Honda's power unit woes, the unfortunate longevity of which appears to rival that of an American soap-opera, have the popular Woking-based team once agin on the back foot.
While hardly oblivious of McLaren's quandary, Vandoorne has right chosen to see the proverbial glass as half full, and he'll take his racing one day at a time.
"In terms of performance, I’m not setting myself any particular targets, other than to keep my head down, learn a lot from the team and from Fernando, and do my best.
"I know the guys and girls at McLaren and Honda very well, and I feel very much part of the family, so there’s no sense of nervousness about starting my first full season as a Formula 1 driver.
"It’s my first time in Australia so I’ll be soaking up the atmosphere, enjoying the buzz of the first race of the season, and we’ll see how the weekend unfolds from there."
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