Kazuki's Monza Blog: Sunday

Posted on Sunday 13 Sep 2009 and tagged with kazuki, monza, italy.

Today’s Italian Grand Prix was a tough race. I lost a section of my FW31’s rear wing endplate on the opening lap, which affected its aero performance, and I then had a fuel pressure problem in the closing laps, which caused me to lose some top-end power. As a result, I had to push really hard not to lose any positions.

Given both of these problems, I was pleased to climb from 17th on the grid to 10th by the chequered flag, but it still didn’t give me my first points’ finish of the year! I’m driving better than I did last year, but I’ve yet to score a point and that’s frustrating.

The next race in Singapore should suit the FW31 much better because it’s a high downforce track and that’s the aero configuration on which the team has focused its development programme this year. Nico and I both finished in the points at the Marina Bay circuit last year and it would be good to repeat that this time around.

There were a lot of Japanese fans in Singapore last year and I hope it’s the same this year because I like to perform in front of my own people. In fact, there were some Japanese guests in the AT&T Williams Paddock Club at Monza. One of them, a four-year-old boy, was quite a fan of mine because he was dressed in a pair of mini overalls and he sat on the stage while I was interviewed before the race. I hope he enjoyed himself – and I hope his mother wasn’t angry with him because I saw him drawing all over his clothes with a felt pen!

I’m now heading back to England so that I can prepare for the next race at the AT&T Williams factory, before heading to the Far East next weekend.

Catch up soon,

Kazuki