Living The Life: Canada #2

[Part of a series of posts in which I detail the events that occur during my first championship season in Codemasters' F1 2010. These will be written in a diary-esque form describing my thoughts and reactions as I participate in each event. Today, part two of my Canadian Grand Prix.]

Saturday Afternoon, Qualifying, Significantly Overcast

I really don't know how to feel about Qualifying this afternoon. On the one hand, we've had a great weekend which suggests that both it and the race will be pretty good, but on the other I don't want that good form to trick me into thinking that I'm going to have a glorious Canadian Grand Prix, either. It's been a great ride so far and, undoubtedly, topping the time sheets in all three Practice sessions puts pressure on us because people expect that to continue, but I really don't want to believe in something that might not exist. I said in my last entry that I was cautiously optimistic -- that's perhaps the best approach I can have, as I am optimistic that I can continue to perform well here (the track seems to really suit my driving style) but at the same time I'm cautious about just how far up the field I can get, because we are meant to be a backmarker team and because Quali is simply a different beast to Practice. With this in mind, I'm personally gunning for a position in the top ten, with the obvious incentive being the higher the better -- particularly as my grid penalty will automatically drop me five places regardless of where I end up. If I can qualify on top and repeat the performances of Practice (which I doubt but we'll see), then the impact of that penalty is very low because starting in fifth would still be a great result, but if not then anywhere in the top ten should minimise the impact that it might have over my weekend. I don't want to be starting at the back of the field, not after doing so well yesterday and earlier this morning, so reaching Q3 is crucial and is my goal heading into the session. Virgin, on the other hand, have set a goal of fifteenth for the session, which is including the grid drop from my penalty. I think that's a fair and accessible goal given our form in Practice, and it correlates rather nicely with my goal of reaching Q3. If I do, then I'll have met their expectations even with the drop, so again that is absolutely my focus going in. Here's hoping it pays off.

Q1

As always, allow me to detail the events of each segment before I discuss my final result.

Almost immediately, it was as if P3 didn't happen. I hooked up with the track nicely and put in a cracker of a lap in my first run to hit a personal best of 1:17.374. This was set on my third lap (second attempt at a time) and emphasised the run in general, too, which was also great. My first flying lap was also a corker until Schumacher forced me to change my line through turn 3 after he exited the pits for his own run. After hitting the track running I elected to stay in and not do a second run, to save my tyres and see what my opponents were up to. Sitting on top of the sheets again was surprising, even with Practice, because I honestly expected the big teams to show their cards, but it also proved to be the motivation I needed to focus in Q2, so I wasn't complaining. Interestingly, Vettel finally broke into the 1'17s with his lap, meaning that Red Bull were edging closer to my times but were still five tenths off.

Q2, Sunny

The clouds clearing for Q2, it was another great segment though once again I only did the one run -- only this time, it wasn't to save tyres but rather because I lost time in the pits after having to get my front wing replaced. Why did it need to be changed? Because, despite a great initial run that put me back to the top, I lost my front wing n-plate after getting turns 3 and 4 wrong on my third lap and clipping the wall. That made things interesting as I was kicking myself for making the mistake, but its impact was minimal as I still finished Q2 on top with a 1:17.683, so it was definitely mixed feelings. Vettel was much closer, on a 1:17.846, and Hamilton finally broke into the 1'17s himself by setting a 1:17.915 for third. Of course, these times get reset so it doesn't matter too much, but it highlighted that the frontrunning teams were closing in (as they should be) and that Q3 was going to be interesting as well. Speaking of which, by sitting on top for Q2 I met my goals of reaching Q3, pleasing Virgin and myself despite the small setback of that front wing mishap.

Q3

A disappointing segment, mostly due to things out of my control. I had an average first run which was affected by Mark Webber exiting the pits on one lap, and traffic in the final chicane on another, so I came in early instead. Usually I only go out for one run in Q3 because there's such little time to do anything, but because of the average run I went out for a dash to see if I could improve my time but, ultimately, I was unable to and had to settle for fifth. The provisional time I had set in my first flying lap of the segment. Had I not screwed up my first lap of the dash by running wide in turn 3 (and then having to cut turn 4, which I was warned about), things might have been different but I did and, because of the session ending, I didn't have enough time to 'fix' that mistake and set a faster time. Still, fifth place is still a remarkably decent effort for a rookie driver like me and a new team such as Virgin and, while that result actually means I start in tenth for tomorrow's race thanks to my penalty, I can still be proud of the session overall and my performances thus far this weekend. I know I could have done better, however, with circumstances not working to my favour, and Pole Position perhaps even being possible. It wasn't meant to be, though, so while it proves that timing is everything in this sport, it also proves that I do deserve to be here in Formula 1. For the record my time was a 1:18.369, nowhere near my best, whilst Vettel's was a 1:17.759 which gave him Pole. Button put it in 2nd which surprised a few people, himself included (I imagine), and Webber followed for 3rd.

A post-Quali interview asked if my performance in Quali gives me and Virgin a boost; how I am getting on with the car set-up for Qualifying; and if my title chances this year (being in a backmarker car) are over. I responded by agreeing that we do get a boost from this good result in Qualifying, that set-up has been exactly where it needed to be this weekend, and that I was unlikely to ever be competing for the drivers' title this year but you never know. Once again answers that, I thought at least, were measured and mature, and something that was reinforced when I got back to the garage.

Satisfied with my Saturday, for the most part, I now knuckle down and prepare for what I hope is a good race. I don't expect much from it, but it would be nice if this form continued.

Sunday Afternoon, Race Day, Significantly Overcast

Like the beginning of Q1 yesterday, it's rather overcast today which could be interesting. We'll see if any showers occur during the race but everyone is approaching it as if it will be dry, and we expect it to be too, so things are still going according to plan today. Virgin expect 12th or better which, going on the past two days, is absolutely possible -- hell, a top ten finish seems achievable after Friday and Saturday's performances -- but I'd still like to be realistic and, as such, I've personally set a goal of 15th. Starting where I am in 10th means that it seems like a somewhat lenient goal and relatively easy because of this, but race conditions are always different to the other sessions so, like Turkey, I'm just going to do my own thing and see what eventuates. I do need a good start, though, as it's still an area that I need to work on. I also hope to avoid any potential collisions in turns 1 and 2, which are notorious for incidents because of how narrow and tight they are. Get through those and I should be able to settle into a decent rhythm. Our strategy for today is to come in on around lap 22 or so, a reasonably early stop since we're starting on our slightly worn Option tyres from Q3 (as per the rules), but late enough that we can adapt our strategy on the fly if we need to due to weather. Even if the race doesn't go our way I think both Virgin and myself can be proud of our weekend so far, and happy that we've made such significant inroads towards being competitive and justifying our position in the sport. I'm certainly pleased with everything, that's for sure.

Race (70 laps)

Mixed feelings describe my thoughts on that race, the result itself being good and matching our previous best in China (more on that in a moment) but at the same time also featuring a lot of unnecessary mistakes. For whatever reason I just couldn't find a decent rhythm and continually locked my brakes, ran wide and even had a moment where I let someone through after inducing wheel-spin and having to catch it. It was my best race of the season, probably, but I definitely feel as if I could have (or even should have) done more with it, too, so definitely feeling a little disappointed with how things went. So how did they go? Let me explain.

Despite seeming slow and sluggish at first (with wheel-spin in 2nd gear), I actually got a pretty decent start and managed to keep 10th place heading into the first two corners. Everyone approached them cautiously and slowly, too, so we all got through and that was nice to see. I kept 10th all the way until my pit-stop, too, despite almost passing Rosberg up the inside of the turn 11 hairpin on both lap 2 and 3. He managed to find a rhythm not long after that and drove away while I battled with the two Force Indias of Sutil and Liuzzi, both of whom stayed on the back of my car by taking advantage of my slipstream on the straights. They never really made any attempts to pass, however, so despite feeling some pressure from their pursuit and also thinking that it might look like I was holding them up, I kept my position and ran my own race. The clouds began to clear at around lap 10 or so and, as scheduled, we pitted on lap 22 to switch to the Prime tyres. The pit-stop went well and we left the pits in 13th. Cold tyres saw me get some wheel-spin out of turn 7 which I had to correct, even going so far as to gently bump the outside wall, but I didn't get any damage and was able to press on. I made it to 12th on lap 24 due to Kobayashi pitting but the guys ahead, in 10th and 11th, appeared to be too far ahead to catch so 12th is where I stayed. Not sure what happened there but oh well. On lap 27 I was lapped by the leader Jenson Button, and from then on I was content in 12th place, moving aside as I needed to and running at a pace I was comfortable with. By this point it was clear that the car was behaving a little differently to the sessions earlier in the weekend -- perhaps because it was heavier, perhaps not -- and also that the conditions weren't suiting it as much either, but I was still quite glad to be where I was considering the differences, and that we could have been much farther down the field. On lap 50 Kobayashi had caught me, partly because of me having to move aside for frontrunners, partly because I was running wide and locking up unnecessarily. On lap 52 he got through thanks to me stupidly catching the curb of turn 8 and having to correct the wheel-spin that followed, confirming that I wasn't driving as well (or consistently) as I was in previous sessions and also that my tyres were starting to go off. I got warned for cutting the corner in that mistake, too, which was nice. Moments in turn 4 on lap 64 and again on lap 66 coming out of turn 1 confirmed the tyre wear issues, so I reacted by slowing down a little and maintained a steady pace until lap 69 where I finished the race, one lap down and in 13th place.

It was a good, solid effort, then, but as I remarked before also disappointing because I made some mistakes and just generally wasn't performing as well as I had been earlier in the weekend. I met my own goal of finishing ahead of 15th, which was nice, but didn't meet Virgin's goal of 12th which I felt guilty about after topping the time sheets in nearly every other session. 13th is still good, though, and matches our previous best in China. The reason I said it was probably my best race of the season so far is because, unlike China, we reached 13th legitimately and without rain playing its part on proceedings, but either way both races remain our highlights thus far, with Canada also having the added benefit of such good Qualifying and Practice sessions. The result is certainly higher than a Virgin (and definitely a rookie like me) is expected to be and puts us in good spirits heading into the next round in Valencia. Even though I stupidly let Kobayashi through when I made that error, I feel like the lack of consistency was my downfall today, my inconsistent driving and unnecessary mistakes (even if only minor) sending us down the field a little when, arguably, we should have been higher. Because it was my fault I can accept that the result is still good and certainly remarkable for a team like mine, but at the same time I know I will kick myself for not doing better, too -- especially after doing so well earlier on in the weekend.

Anyway, Button won the race, Vettel came in 2nd and Hamilton followed for 3rd. My teammate Lucas finished in 22nd, which is not bad for him actually, and I remain 21st in the drivers' standings whilst Virgin are still last in the constructors'. According to my agent some other teams are starting to express an interest in my driving -- namely HRT, Lotus, Toro Rosso and BMW Sauber -- so that's interesting; perhaps some contract offers will start appearing if I can continue driving well? Guess I'll find out soon enough. Overall I had a fantastic time in Canada and thoroughly enjoyed both my visit to the country, and my ability to have a great weekend and truly perform -- it felt good, I was in a great mood the entire time and, combined with Turkey, it seems like we are in a really good place at the moment as a team. I hope that continues in Valencia, a circuit I've never been to and another street circuit, too. I may have had a terrible time in Monaco, but I do still love my street circuits...

Living The Life: Canada #1

[Part of a series of posts in which I detail the events that occur during my first championship season in Codemasters' F1 2010. These will be written in a diary-esque form describing my thoughts and reactions as I participate in each event. Today, part one of my Canadian Grand Prix.]

Now that I have had more time to think about it, our previous round in Turkey was a lot better than it initially seemed. While the final result might not reflect it, Turkey felt like a turn around for us, particularly when it comes to our fortunes. On the back of two woeful rounds that really left us feeling depressed and unmotivated, it was great to turn that around with some positive progress in all of the weekend's sessions, be that Practice, Qualifying or, indeed, the race. Again, our 16th placing might suggest an average round, not a decent one, but Virgin and I came away very pleased with how the Turkish Grand Prix went as a whole, and personally I'm satisfied with my driving again after feeling pretty terrible in Spain and Monaco. I hope to continue this new, inspired attitude this weekend, particularly as it's in Canada -- a country I have always wanted to visit.

I can't really explain why but this country has always been appealing to me. Its beauty is perhaps the obvious answer, those gorgeous mountains and serene lakes and waterfalls making for some awe-inspiring scenery, but I don't know, I feel like it is more than that too. Every Canadian I have ever met, back in Australia before I was racing on the world stage, was a joy to talk to, their attitudes seemingly similar to that of our own. Culturally we also appear to be quite on par, though I will admit that something like that is hard to gauge when you've only met a handful of people. Whatever draws me to Canada and makes it appealing to me, it is great to finally be able to make one of my dreams a reality by visiting it, and especially doing something I love, too: racing cars. Speaking of which, that is my job and while I'm elated to be here, I'm not silly enough to neglect that fact, either, so I'm definitely focused on what needs to be done this weekend. I'm looking forward to it.

Friday Morning, Practice One, Sunny

A typical first Practice session, somewhat marred by some confusing warnings and yet another five-spot grid penalty, my third in as many rounds -- not a trend I want to continue. I had the usual, expected run-offs and moments of running wide as I familiarised myself with the circuit -- something that occurred a lot quicker than I expected it to -- and, as is seemingly becoming the norm, I also took the opportunity to run laps early in the session while my opponents played around with their set-ups and ran installation laps. I quickly learned the track, continuing my ability to get acquainted with new venues easily and with little hassle, and also learned that it was a very enjoyable track to drive -- both because it's quite picturesque, and because it's a challenging circuit with tight corners, a generally twisty feel and, of course, extremely close barriers. In fact, Canada reminded me instantly of a street circuit. It also reminded me of Australia and while that venue is more sweeping than Canada, it's an apt comparison because it actually is considered a street circuit (despite not always seeming like one). Leaves are a significant issue, however, with the low-hanging trees dropping their leaves all over the circuit and then wind (not to mention our cars speeding past) blowing them around everywhere. I think the walls that closely adorn the track are why so many of them are contained within; Australia had a fair amount of leaves as well but they always seemed to float up and over its walls, usually landing in the nearby (and gorgeous) Albert Park lake. It won't affect the progress of the weekend at all, but I did find it interesting and thought it was worth noting. Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is also a deceptive little thing, its corners enticing you to brake late and accelerate early even though that might not actually be possible. It was this, mainly, which caused my little moments during the session but once I recognised that things weren't as they seemed, I was able to adapt and felt a lot more comfortable after that. I even felt like I could push, which was great because usually that doesn't happen until sessions later in the weekend and also because it suggested we were in for a good round, something that was later confirmed. But more on that in a moment; how did the session itself fare?

It went well, I have to say. The aforementioned warnings and penalty didn't help, of course, but overall I was happy with our progress, our pace and how quickly I eased into everything. Turns 2 and 10 were probably the trickiest to get used to, the two hairpins requiring maximum acceleration as early as possible but both also teasing you into pushing too early and causing wheel-spin. Turns 4, 7, and 9, not to mention the final chicane leading onto the main straight, were also tricky, mostly because you get back onto the throttle so quickly but do so as you ride the various curbs, too, which can also induce wheel-spin if you're not careful. Otherwise, the track was great and very enjoyable to drive. Not even my penalty or warnings could hinder my enjoyment, despite the latter confusing me somewhat and the former a silly and unnecessary mistake on my behalf. I got the five-spot grid penalty on my third run, coming back into the pits. I misjudged my entry and was unable to get the speed limiter on in time, so that was classed as speeding in pit-lane and I was subsequently awarded the penalty for my efforts. I could have taken it as a bad omen and gotten frustrated over it, but for whatever reason I took it in my stride and continued on as if it didn't happen -- an approach that, in hindsight now that the session is over, I'm very glad I did. But what about those warnings? Well, I got a few for cutting corners as I ran wide or off on some laps -- something very easy to do here as Canada's corners usually flow in the opposite direction to the one you just went through, a nice example being the final chicane -- but the confusing one was a warning for illegal blocking, as I cruised down the back straight preparing for a new lap. I was well off the racing line and was being followed by a Red Bull but, apparently, I was in the way and I got warned for it. It was confusing because I didn't impede on anyone's hot lap and the Red Bull was also cruising -- and that confusion went on to affect my concentration on the following lap -- but I got over it pretty quickly despite feeling it was a bit unfair. Traffic, too, played its part as it always does, some laps hampered by slower cars and/or bad timing, the most significant examples for this session being Felipe Massa starting a hot lap as I was approaching to pass him, as he was going slow down the back straight, and traffic in the turn 10 hairpin affecting my racing line at times.

Otherwise, the session was great, our choice to change set-up for my third run paying off nicely as it seemed to suit the track (and car) to a tee and allowed me to really get on with my job. Arguably, I did that too well as, at the end of my fifth run, I was surprised to see myself on top of the time sheets as I looked on the monitor back in the garage. At the time I put it down to the frontrunners having not found ideal set-ups or having not used the Option tyres yet, but I was corrected when, at the end of the session, I found myself on top after 30 laps completed. Yes, you read that right, I was on top of the time sheets. First. Number one. Ahead of the Red Bulls, McLarens and the Ferraris! I couldn't believe it -- I still don't -- and was definitely shocked to see that things went that well. I feel like maybe they weren't showing their cards yet or had struggled to find ideal set-ups, but either way I'm totally ecstatic that my name has topped the time sheets of a Formula 1 session, and seemingly so easily, too, as my time set on Primes would have been good enough, let alone the one I managed on Options late in the session. Speaking of which, that time was a 1:17.565, over a second ahead of Mark Webber in second on a 1:18.896 and his team-mate Vettel who managed a 1:18.904. Surely such a result doesn't reflect the weekend? I mean, how can it? How can my Virgin, a car that is supposed to be at the back of the pack, be more than a second ahead of a Red Bull? It can't be, so while I'm very happy with this result I don't expect it to be replicated in the next session. Guess I will find out later this afternoon.

Friday Afternoon, Practice Two, Cloudy

A mixed session, my good laps interspersed with the drama of little mistakes, traffic and a challenging pit-lane. All of my good laps continued to improve my times and lowered them enough to suggest that a 1'16 was possible (on Options), but ultimately I didn't manage it and settled for a low 1'17, instead. Which leaves the more negative stuff.

First of all, I made a lot more mistakes than I wanted to, locking brakes at inopportune times, running wide and either hurting my laps or having to abort them because I was off in the grass (even if only momentarily), and catching wheel-spin sporadically as I pushed the circuit more and more. For the most part these tiny errors are to be expected and are a by-product of trying to push the limits of a track, but I definitely felt like I was making more than I should have been and certainly more than P1, which is where these mishaps should be taking place. It didn't affect our progress too much (if at all), but it was noticeable enough to be concerning to me personally, and I didn't like it at all.

More concerning, however, was the traffic problems. Multiple laps of mine had to be aborted due to cars cruising, being in a different stage of their weekend to mine (for example, being on Primes while I was on Options -- the faster tyres) or because they simply didn't see me in time to move out of the way. One example of this was a moment with Kovalainen, who saw me at the last minute during my first lap of my second run and didn't move aside enough (in time), causing me to take a weird line to pass which sent me wide at turn 6, ruining the lap. I wasn't angry with the traffic problems -- Canada essentially being a street circuit means that I understand how narrow and tight it can be when cars are trying to find track space -- but it definitely played with the general progress of the session, particularly when opponents appeared to gloss over my (and I assume others') presence when they were driving slow. But, if my strange warning from P1 is anything to go by, I'm just as guilty of it as everyone else so it's not something I am complaining about, or want to dwell on for too long -- it was just simply an issue, and because it was a bit more prevalent here than other rounds, it bears mentioning.

Another issue, undoubtedly, is pit-lane. Both its entry and exit is awkward, and both cause troublesome moments depending on who is where on the circuit, and who is either entering or leaving the lane. Anyone who wants to enter, for example, has to do so by crossing onto the racing line for the final chicane. The approach to that chicane is from the left side, to allow for a straighter line through the brief double-corner, and quicker acceleration onto the main straight. Cars entering pit-lane, usually on the right side of the track if on an in-lap, have to suddenly cross over to find the lane, and it can be a problem if someone is on a hot lap and speeding towards the final chicane, only to have someone cross over at the last minute and get in the way. It's particularly bothersome because it's the last two corners of the lap; having a great lap ruined by such a moment is frustrating, and makes all of the work on the corners prior a waste of time. Despite this, I'd say that the exit of pit-lane is worse, simply because of how distracting it can be. There were quite a few times where my laps were ruined because someone was exiting as I was starting my lap and traversing turns 1 and 2. Whether it was getting distracted after turn 1 because cars were straight in front of me, exiting, or awkward moments as people tried to move out of the way as I was taking turn 2, the exit of pit-lane here is tricky and definitely an issue. I get that we all have to exit pit-lane and that it is up to us drivers to manage both ourselves and our competitors in a generous way, and that the way the Canadian venue flows makes it exceptionally difficult for it to be designed differently, but like the traffic woes it bears mentioning because it can (and does) affect people's sessions temporarily. A characteristic of the Canadian Grand Prix, to be sure, but an issue all the same.

Anyway, aside from those problems the session was great and mimicked much of P1. As I said above my laps improved, my confidence around the track developed with each decent lap and ultimately, once again, I ended up on top of the time sheets. Yes, despite thinking it was impossible I somehow managed to repeat my performance of P1 and put my name on the top again, even though it still doesn't feel right and I believe the frontrunners can do better. For whatever reason I seem to be really hooked up with this circuit here in Canada, even with those mistakes, and it's certainly being reflected with the final results. I'm still not going to treat it as a sign to come but it's definitely great to be able to put my name on that top spot, legitimately, and prove to everyone that I can drive and do deserve to be in Formula 1. Will this positive progress continue into tomorrow? Maybe, maybe not (probably not), but regardless of that it shows that I do have the talent required to drive one of these cars, and to compete at the level that I do. My time was a 1:17.552, only slightly better than the time I managed in P1, but still an improvement nonetheless. As I suggested before I felt like a 1'16 was possible but a combination of the aforementioned issues and worn tyres (I used the Options I used in P1 again) meant that it didn't happen. Once again I was a full second ahead of fellow Australian Mark Webber, who set a 1:18.598, and Vettel who achieved a time of 1:18.633 for third. How I can be quicker than the Red Bulls is beyond me -- am I dreaming? -- but I'll take it and, no matter how the rest of the weekend fares, I think I can be proud of my performance so far here in Canada. Bring on tomorrow!

Saturday Morning, Practice Three, Sunny

A bittersweet session, the final result reflecting the positivity of yesterday but marred by mistakes (again) and discomfort in the car.

I don't know, the session as a whole is really hard to describe as I just don't know how I feel. I'm very happy to be on top of the time sheets again (something I will address in a moment), but at the same time I am unhappy with either my performance, the car, or just the events that transpired. Maybe all of the above? Whatever it was, it was a disheartening session, sort of, but the result doesn't reflect that so maybe I'm seeing something that isn't there?

Anyway as I said there were mistakes in this session, a lot more than I would have liked, and perhaps even more than yesterday's P2 session. The session itself started off nicely enough, my form appearing to continue early as I reached second place quickly and decisively, but what followed was a lot of locked brakes, moments of wheel-spin that had to be caught, and confusion as to whether it was me struggling to find a rhythm or the car behaving differently to yesterday. I felt like I was running wide more than usual (suggesting understeer), I was having to back out of laps after catching the car from wheel-spin, and even missing apexes (even if only slightly) was putting a damper on the spirit I had for the session. Combined with the expected traffic woes I described in P2's write up, I just felt like the session was going nowhere even though, upon its conclusion, I was still on top. I only managed to do 17 laps, too, due to constant aborting and coming in early because of affected laps -- be it through my own mistakes or opponents getting in the way. Still, I suppose I shouldn't dwell on it too much because, as I said, I did top the time sheets yet again, continuing my remarkably positive weekend and hammering home the point that I belong here in Formula 1. I just feel as if the session could (and should) have been better than it was, so the impact of my name on top for the third session in a row (even if it is only Practice) is less than it was at the end of the two sessions yesterday.

Anyway I was ahead by a margin again today but it wasn't as big as it was in P1 or P2, Sebastian Vettel closing the gap as you would expect. I set a 1:17.884 (on Primes, which is why it's slower than my previous times) while he managed a 1:18.378, which makes Quali later today interesting if my form continues. Webber followed him for third, setting a 1:18.430, suggesting that it is yet another Red Bull weekend if I stop putting a spanner in the works and start falling to where I arguably should be, at the back of the pack. My team-mate Lucas is certainly there, finishing in 24th in all three sessions so far. I wonder how he is feeling seeing me up the front while he finishes in last -- it can't be good.

A post-P3 interview with David Croft asked how Virgin felt about my qualifying performances, if we're getting the best out of the Practice sessions (by testing new parts and etc.), and if I feel like Virgin is giving me 100 per cent. I responded by saying that Virgin and I are working well for Quali (an answer I thought was mature despite the great outcomes in Practice so far this weekend), that we appear to be on target in terms of new parts and general progress across a weekend, and that Virgin are doing the best they can (for me and themselves) for their first season in Formula 1. Virgin seemed to be happy with my answers, my engineer confirming that my level-headed approach to the weekend despite some great driving is probably the best approach, lest we become complacent, cocky or oblivious to the realities of the sport and our position within it. I agreed with his assessment, and not long after that we started to discuss and prepare for qualifying later today.

So, overall, I'm happy with how I have performed in the three Practice sessions so far but at the same time I do feel disappointed in how P3 fared. It wasn't inherently bad and the 'negative' niggles were minor at best, but something felt off in that session and contemplating what that might be definitely affected how I felt about the session as a whole. We're in a good position and topping the time sheets three times in a row certainly bodes well for qualifying, but I'm not stupid enough to ignore the fact that things change quickly in this sport and that what happens in Practice might not happen for the remainder of the weekend. The transition from our horrible Spain and Monaco rounds into the generally great Turkey one is the only example I need to prove this, so it's with a cautious sense of optimism that I now get ready to qualify. Wish me luck.