Nico's Notes from Spa
18 September 07
What a race! I thoroughly enjoyed the Belgian Grand Prix and it was great to finish comfortably inside the points for the fourth consecutive race.
We didn't have a particularly good test at Spa-Francorchamps back in July, so I wasn't sure what to expect when we arrived at the track last week. I needn't have worried: the car has improved a lot since that test.
We still had to work hard with the set-up to unleash the car's potential, particularly between Friday and Saturday. But we managed to do it, which proves what a great job the team is doing at the moment.
From a driving point of view, I had a good weekend. Qualifying was very close and I had to extract the absolute maximum from the car and the tyres to set the sixth fastest time. That became fifth on the grid when Robert Kubica was penalised 10 places after having an engine change.
I got away well at the start of the race and ran in fifth place during the early stages. Initially I had to fend off the challenges of Heikki Kovalainen, but for the bulk of the race I had Mark Webber filling my mirrors. It was tough to stay ahead of him at times because I had a lot of wing on my FW29.
To finish sixth for the third time this year was very rewarding as a result. It was one of my best races and I have to thank the team for giving me a car that allows me to show what I can do behind the wheel.
Away from the racetrack, politics seemed to dominate the Spa weekend, following the World Motorsport Council Meeting in Paris. I don't want to get into the rights and wrongs of the 'Spygate' situation, other than to say you're always going to get politics in a sport that attracts so much money. It's inevitable and you have to be prepared for it.
People have asked me how I'd spend McLaren's $100 million fine. It would be a fun challenge! You wouldn't spend that amount of money on one thing; you'd have to buy several things. I guess an island would be a nice place to start!
I'm testing at Jerez this week, where we have a few aerodynamic developments to try ahead of the next race on the calendar, the Japanese Grand Prix. The FW29 is already quick and consistent to drive, so I'm looking forward to seeing how these new parts improve the performance further.
As for Fuji Speedway, I've never been there before so I can't comment too much on the track layout. It doesn't take me long to learn new circuits and we get more than enough running on Fridays this year for that not to be an issue.
I'm looking forward to the last three 'fly-away' races. It's fun to visit different continents and experience different cultures, but I will miss my motorhome. It's been my home-from-home during the European season because I have all my favourite things around me. I will also miss Vincent's cooking!
Ah well, Japanese food is nice too.
Until next time,
Nico
We didn't have a particularly good test at Spa-Francorchamps back in July, so I wasn't sure what to expect when we arrived at the track last week. I needn't have worried: the car has improved a lot since that test.
We still had to work hard with the set-up to unleash the car's potential, particularly between Friday and Saturday. But we managed to do it, which proves what a great job the team is doing at the moment.
From a driving point of view, I had a good weekend. Qualifying was very close and I had to extract the absolute maximum from the car and the tyres to set the sixth fastest time. That became fifth on the grid when Robert Kubica was penalised 10 places after having an engine change.
I got away well at the start of the race and ran in fifth place during the early stages. Initially I had to fend off the challenges of Heikki Kovalainen, but for the bulk of the race I had Mark Webber filling my mirrors. It was tough to stay ahead of him at times because I had a lot of wing on my FW29.
To finish sixth for the third time this year was very rewarding as a result. It was one of my best races and I have to thank the team for giving me a car that allows me to show what I can do behind the wheel.
Away from the racetrack, politics seemed to dominate the Spa weekend, following the World Motorsport Council Meeting in Paris. I don't want to get into the rights and wrongs of the 'Spygate' situation, other than to say you're always going to get politics in a sport that attracts so much money. It's inevitable and you have to be prepared for it.
People have asked me how I'd spend McLaren's $100 million fine. It would be a fun challenge! You wouldn't spend that amount of money on one thing; you'd have to buy several things. I guess an island would be a nice place to start!
I'm testing at Jerez this week, where we have a few aerodynamic developments to try ahead of the next race on the calendar, the Japanese Grand Prix. The FW29 is already quick and consistent to drive, so I'm looking forward to seeing how these new parts improve the performance further.
As for Fuji Speedway, I've never been there before so I can't comment too much on the track layout. It doesn't take me long to learn new circuits and we get more than enough running on Fridays this year for that not to be an issue.
I'm looking forward to the last three 'fly-away' races. It's fun to visit different continents and experience different cultures, but I will miss my motorhome. It's been my home-from-home during the European season because I have all my favourite things around me. I will also miss Vincent's cooking!
Ah well, Japanese food is nice too.
Until next time,
Nico
Posted at 12:00am on 18 September 07
tagged with nico.
