AT&T Williams F1

The French Grand Prix was a frustrating race for the AT&T Williams team because we missed out on a World Championship point by nine seconds. Both FW29s ran faultlessly and my car was consistent in all three stints of the race; yet after 70 laps of racing I finished where I'd started, in ninth place. I got away well from the grid and ran in the points for the opening 50 laps, but I was pipped by Jenson Button at my second pitstop. We must analyse how I lost out to him because, in terms of set-up, Silverstone is quite similar to Magny-Cours, so what we learnt in France will be applicable at this weekend's British Grand Prix. Aside from the race result, I enjoyed my Magny-Cours weekend. The track is very rewarding to drive because it has some fast corners that are really challenging, and the re-surfacing done since last year's race really improved the grip levels of the asphalt. A lot of people don’t like the French GP because it's difficult to get there and there isn't much to do in the evenings. Okay, it wasn’t the most lively place to celebrate my 22nd birthday last Wednesday, but you can only judge a place as you find it and my off-track experiences of Magny-Cours have always been positive. I parked my motorhome near the F1 paddock this year, set up a picnic table and some chairs on the grass and enjoyed the chilled out atmosphere that comes with the race. There weren't many marketing appearances for me to do in the evenings, so I could just relax in the early evening sunshine when I was done with the engineers. I also got to enjoy some of the best food in F1 because Vincent Crovisier, who was a chef for Michelin until the end of last year, now cooks for me at all the European races. All of his food is excellent, but particularly his steaks. They are just delicious and I must be careful not to eat too much! I'll get a couple of days at home this week before heading to England for the British Grand Prix. I'm really looking forward to it because Silverstone is a great track and the British fans are always enthusiastic and supportive. I always think of Silverstone as the home of motorsport and I imagine it will be crazy this year because of Lewis Hamilton's success. Silverstone will also be a chance for people from the AT&T Williams factory to come and watch, so I hope we can put on a good show for them. Before then, I'll be at Grove on Wednesday to do some filming and to visit the night shift. I would love to give all these people that work so hard behind-the-scenes a good result at the team's home race. See you again soon, Nico