AT&T Williams F1

After the last race in Hungary I returned to Japan for a week. It was my first trip home since the start of the season and it felt fantastic to be home, even if the weather was very hot and humid. I did absolutely nothing while I was there; I stayed at home near Nagoya and caught up with friends, which was great.

I returned to the UK last Wednesday to enable me to adapt to the European time zone again and to train near my home in Oxford. I also spent some time at the Williams factory in Grove, where I talked through the engineering challenge of Valencia and drove the simulator. The engineers have done some laser scans of the track surface, which have provided us with very accurate information about the corners and the bumps.

I then arrived in Valencia yesterday and have spent much of today checking it out. I think it’s going to be very fast – much quicker than Monaco – and I expect similar levels of brake wear to Montreal. As a result, overtaking might be possible in the race.

We have a few new parts on the FW30 this weekend, so I hope we can make a step forward in terms of performance. One thing is certain: every lap of practice will count, so it’ll be important not to make any mistakes.

I’ll get back to you tomorrow with a progress report!