As the first race of the 2007 season of Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne is getting closer Deryk Engelland Jersey , the whole Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 team is busy doing their last-minute preparation for the tournament. Before the team arrived in Australia, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes new comer Fernando Alonso along with his team mate Lewis Hamilton went into a pre-season test run and completed more than 13,000 km (8,077 miles) aboard the McLaren Mercedes MP4-22.

Early in January, McLaren Mercedes team left the headquarters in UK and brought their racing infrastructures in Australia. Fernando Alonso arrived in Melbourne last March 12th straight from Europe and the rest of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team members arrived in Australia on Sunday, March 11. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton is expected to arrive in Melbourne in the 14th after staying in Gold Coast.

Norbert Haug, Vice President of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport said:
"At the start of the season in Australia we have a lot of new things to offer. The World Champion of the last two years, Fernando Alonso, is now driving for our team. Lewis Hamilton is a very talented young man who as an up-and-coming driver has been an integral part of our system for almost ten years. The team?s new Title Sponsor Vodafone is a great partner and a global player, which has the same objectives as we. However, prior to the start of the season, ?new? does not mean untried, as the team has tested more intensively than ever before and has completed more test kilometres than before every other season opener so far. During the past six months, the technicians and mechanics for both chassis and engines had to cope with great challenges."

"Their efforts to prepare for a successful season were as exemplary as the work of test and race teams during the 19 test days between