AT&T Williams F1

Solid run to 10th place The Bahrain Grand Prix turned out to be a bit frustrating for me. From 10th on the grid I hoped to finish in the points for the second time in three races, but I ended the race where I started it: 10th. I lost a couple of places at the start because I got very little traction away from the line. That had nothing to do with our excellent launch control system, and everything to do with the sand that had been blown onto the track from the surrounding desert. The inside of the circuit - where I started - was particularly bad because it wasn't on the racing line. Still, I made it through the first couple of corners safely and tried to settle into a rhythm. But even that proved difficult because I wasn't happy with the brakes on my car. The brake pedal gave me very little feeling, which made it easy to lock a wheel in one of Sakhir's many heavy braking areas. As a result, it was hard to be consistent and even harder to overtake the cars ahead of me. Even though the AT&T WilliamsF1 Team didn't score any points in Bahrain (Alex finished in 11th place), we did at least get both cars to the finish for the first time this year. And the pace of the FW29 was better than we were able to demonstrate because Alex and I were always stuck in traffic. Off-track, I had a great time. I love the Kingdom of Bahrain because it reminds me of Dubai 15 years ago. It has a great climate, not too many people and some fabulous hotels. It could do with a few more beaches, but I'm sure they'll make some in due course! There were a lot of big names from the world of music at the race, and it was fun to meet all of them. But the impressionist Rory Bremner made me laugh the most. He does a great impression of Sir Jackie Stewart; take a listen to our podcast to find out just how good. (www.uspaudio.co.uk/f1/attwilliamspodcast.html or visit iTunes from where you can subscribe for free and receive it after every race. Just search “AT&T Williams podcast�). My hotel room in Bahrain was nice, as you'd expect of a Ritz Carlton, but it was the last one that I'll see for a while. I stay in my motorhome at all the European races and the Spanish Grand Prix is next on the calendar, on 13 May. I think there are two advantages in having your own motorhome. First, it allows me to create a home from home while I'm on the road because I have all my favourite things around me. Pictures, books, stuff like that. Second, I don't have to worry about getting caught up in traffic on race morning, which means I can stay in bed a bit longer! The traffic is going to be very bad at the Circuit de Catalunya because the race is always a sell-out. The Spanish fans love Fernando [Alonso] and even from the cockpit of my FW29 I can see them dancing in the grandstands when he’s doing well. The race has a brilliant atmosphere and that makes it fun for all the drivers. Prior to the race there is a three-day test at the track, when we'll try out a new aero package for the first time. The figures from the wind tunnel look promising, so I hope it will be enough of an improvement to help us continue our journey towards the front of Formula 1.