Australian GP Friday iWitness

Liam Clogger, AT&T Williams’ communications manager, completed the opening 5.3 kilometres (3.3 miles) of his global marathon on Friday evening. He’s going to run every track this year and his lap of Albert Park took just under 24 minutes. You reckon he can maintain an eight-minute mile in the heat and humidity of Malaysia?

If you ask for Rob in the Melbourne paddock, everyone knows who you’re talking about. Rob – no-one knows his surname – buys food for all the teams and he reckons AT&T Williams are unique because there no vegetarians on the race team. “It’s amazing,” he says, “you guys like your pound of flesh, don’t you?”

One thing Rob won’t be buying Renault this weekend is green bananas because Flavio Briatore doesn’t like ’em. “Each morning I only expect to wake up and shave,” says Flavio. “Life, for me, is the moment and that’s why I don’t buy green bananas. Who knows what will happen tomorrow?”

Unless the Australian Grand Prix is a night race after 2010, it won’t be on the calendar. So says Bernie Ecclestone. As the paddock basks in 35-degree heat this weekend, many people are coming out in support of the race. “For me it’s great,” says Heikki Kovalainen. “Coming from Finland, I can get a suntan, so I hope the race stays!”