AT&T Williams F1

Nico and Kazuki returned to the GP2 paddock this afternoon to lend their support to the Gonzalo Rodriguez Foundation. They signed a painting by American artist Bill Patterson and both of them donated a pair of driving gloves, which will be auctioned at the series’ end-of-season dinner on Sunday night.

With his home grand prix creeping ever closer, Kazuki’s media requests from Japan are multiplying. As well as doing several telephone interviews with big Tokyo-based newspapers today, Kazuki had to show Fuji TV around his room in the motorhome. Don’t get the wrong impression, viewers of Fuji TV: his room isn’t normally that tidy!

Former Williams F1 star Riccardo Patrese was back behind the wheel of an F1 car for the first time in 15 years earlier this week. He drove one of last year’s Honda RA107s at Jerez and set a best time of 1:30.21s. Not bad for a vet, eh?

Talking of speedy ex-F1 drivers, congratulations to three-time world champion Niki Lauda, who has married his girlfriend of four years Birgit Wetzinger. The couple met while she was working as an air stewardess on Niki’s airline and were married in a Vienna registry office in a ceremony that lasted just seven minutes.