Rosberg's French Grand Prix
By Williams F1 Team
July 4 2007
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Rosberg's
French Grand Prix |
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The French Grand Prix was a
frustrating race for the AT&T Williams team because we missed out on a World
Championship point by nine seconds. Both FW29s ran faultlessly and my car
was consistent in all three stints of the race; yet after 70 laps of racing
I finished where I'd started, in ninth place.
I
got away well from the grid and ran in the points for the opening 50 laps,
but I was pipped by Jenson Button at my second pitstop. We must analyse how
I lost out to him because, in terms of set-up, Silverstone is quite similar
to Magny-Cours, so what we learnt in France will be applicable at this
weekend's British Grand Prix.
Aside from the race result, I enjoyed my Magny-Cours weekend. The track is
very rewarding to drive because it has some fast corners that are really
challenging, and the re-surfacing done since last year's race really
improved the grip levels of the asphalt.
A lot of people don't like the French GP because it's difficult to get there
and there isn't much to do in the evenings. Okay, it wasn't the most lively
place to celebrate my 22nd birthday last Wednesday, but you can only judge a
place as you find it and my off-track experiences of Magny-Cours have always
been positive.
I parked my motorhome near the F1 paddock this year, set up a picnic table
and some chairs on the grass and enjoyed the chilled out atmosphere that
comes with the race. There weren't many marketing appearances for me to do
in the evenings, so I could just relax in the early evening sunshine when I
was done with the engineers.
I also got to enjoy some of the best food in F1 because Vincent Crovisier,
who was a chef for Michelin until the end of last year, now cooks for me at
all the European races. All of his food is excellent, but particularly his
steaks. They are just delicious and I must be careful not to eat too much!
I'll get a couple of days at home this week before heading to England for
the British Grand Prix. I'm really looking forward to it because Silverstone
is a great track and the British fans are always enthusiastic and
supportive. I always think of Silverstone as the home of motorsport and I
imagine it will be crazy this year because of Lewis Hamilton's success.
Silverstone will also be a chance for people from the AT&T Williams factory
to come and watch, so I hope we can put on a good show for them. Before
then, I'll be at Grove on Wednesday to do some filming and to visit the
night shift. I would love to give all these people that work so hard
behind-the-scenes a good result at the team's home race. |
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