AT&T Williams F1

Nico on… the 2007 Spanish Grand Prix It was a great feeling to finish sixth at Barcelona. Not only was it my best result in Formula 1, it proved that the team has done a great job in developing the FW29 since the Bahrain Grand Prix. Everything went right for me during the race: I made a good start, gaining two places from 11th on the grid; my pitstops were excellent and the reliability of the car was perfect. We extracted the maximum from the package and we can look ahead to the next race with confidence. After my testing shunt the week before the race, I was a little tentative through Turn 7 at the beginning of Friday practice. It felt like a completely different corner on my first lap because I left a lot of margin, but, after a couple of laps I was going through there on the limit, as if nothing had happened. The new chicane at the end of the lap was a great success with most of the drivers. It's a much more challenging section than the two quick corners that preceded it because the kerbs are high and it's easy to lose time. I like it a lot. Nico on… danger A lot of journalists in Barcelona asked me about my testing crash and how it affected my performance. It was the biggest shunt of my F1 career, but it didn't feel like a big one at the time. The impact wasn't that great; the problem was that I hit a wall, not a tyre barrier, and that did a lot of damage to the car. For someone my age, I'm very aware of the dangers involved in this sport. I understand what can happen and I deal with it by thinking it won't ever happen. Having said that, I feel very safe in an F1 car because it is extremely strong. The only time I've ever felt afraid in a racing car was when I had brake failure in a Formula 3 race at Zandvoort. I think I passed out before I even hit the barrier! Nico on… his motorhome My motorhome made its first race weekend appearance of the year at the Circuit de Catalunya. I love it because it's a home-from-home. I sleep in a familiar bed and I have my favourite things around me. My favourite gadget is my ipod docking station, with surround sound, because I can make a lot of noise. My taste has gone in a bit of a rock direction recently, so I'm listening to bands like 3 doors down. I'm also a bit of a health freak and I like to eat some specially-prepared muesli every morning. Nico on… the forthcoming Monaco Grand Prix Monaco is without a doubt a great circuit. It's very challenging and the barriers are never far away, so mistakes are usually punished. Having said that, you have to treat it like any other circuit if you want to be quick so I leave no extra margin for error. I've lived in Monaco all my life, so I'll have a lot of friends and family at the race. I'll also have an easy commute to work each day. From my flat in Fontvieille the F1 paddock is only a two-minute walk. I'd like to ride a scooter, but that may not be possible. Last year the police stopped me using one because I didn't have the right pass, and even when I told them I was a driver they wouldn't let me though. I got very annoyed! Some people might think that my local knowledge of Monaco will give me an advantage in the race. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth because an F1 car is so different to anything else with a steering wheel. You'd learn a lot more from one lap in an F1 car than 100 laps in a road car. But if you want to know where to go out in the evening, that's when local knowledge counts for a lot!