AT&T Williams F1

My chances of a points finish at Monaco were effectively over by the time I’d exited Ste Devote, the first corner, on the opening lap. I was squeezed out by Giancarlo Fisichella, which allowed the one-stopping Nick Heidfeld to overtake me. Nick was very slow in the early laps and that wrecked my two-stop strategy because I was forced to lap significantly slower than my potential. I emerged from my second pitstop in the middle of the pack and, with it being impossible to overtake at Monaco, I finished 12th. Given that I'd started fifth, the result was very disappointing. But there were several aspects of the Monaco GP that left a smile on my face. First, it's an awesome experience to drive an F1 car there. The track gives you a tremendous sense of speed because the barriers are very close and you have to be very precise. It's a great challenge. Second, my pace in qualifying proved that the pace of the FW29 is improving by the race. Fifth place was my best grid position of the year and we've now been quick on medium and high downforce tracks. We can look to the future with confidence. On a personal level, my performance in qualifying was very satisfying. A problem with the left rear damper on my car meant that I could do only one flying lap in Q2, so I had to nail it in order to get into Q3. That's what I did: the car had a good balance and I gave it loads of commitment. After qualifying, several journalists asked me if I'm driving better this year than in 2006. The straight answer is 'yes' and the reason for that is because I'm more confident and relaxed. Things that worried me last year, such as getting into bed late when a sponsor function over-ran, don't worry me this year. I just get in the car and do the job. And, of course, the FW29 is a better car than FW28, which makes it easier to drive. Away from the racetrack, I had a typically busy Monaco weekend. When I wasn't in engineering briefings, I hopped from boat-to-boat meeting sponsors and VIPs. I like motorboats, having grown up on my dad's boat, and I was reminded how much fun they are. One day I'd like to have my own one because there are many days in Monaco when the weather's fantastic and it would be fun to go for a trip along the coast. I got a little bit of time off on Friday, which was the Monaco GP's rest day. In the morning I went to the pool at my parent's apartment block and lay in it like a turtle for a while. It was great to relax before getting back on the engineering and sponsor bandwagon in the afternoon. My next chance to relax came on Sunday night. While there wasn't much to celebrate in terms of my race result, I headed to the Amber Lounge with my girlfriend Vivienne for the post-race party. It was great fun and people seemed to like my new haircut. The hairdresser got a bit carried away last week and took off more than I wanted, but there you go. He was the guy with the scissors. Canada's next on the calendar. It's a great city and an interesting track. I can't wait.