AT&T Williams F1

All weekend Nico’s driver has been promising great things for Sunday, and he delivered in spectacular style this morning. With minimal traffic on the road, he whisked Nico from the Sheraton to the Shanghai International Circuit in 32 minutes. A record.

Nico’s next task was to get from the racetrack to Pudong airport equally quickly on Sunday evening because he had to catch an early flight to New York. “I’m in a hurry to get out of here,” he says, “because I’m going to join my girlfriend in the Big Apple. I’ve never spent any time there before, so I’m looking forward to it – a lot!”

Sir Frank Williams has revealed a passion for history, and classical music in particular. Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky are his favourite composers, although he confesses to knowing little about each of them. “My knowledge of Mozart, the man, extends to seeing the movie Amadeus, which was wonderful,” he says.

With just one race remaining, the F1 paddock is beginning to think about its off-season holidays. Some skiing in the Alps in a couple of months perhaps? Not if you’re Robert Kubica. “I like mountains in the summer, when there are fewer people,” he says. “Then I go to beaches in the winter, again when there are fewer people.” Bit of a loner is Robert.