So not exactly the weekend we were hoping for in Germany but overall I was pleased to see the team heading in the right direction. The gearbox problem and resulting five-place grid penalty, plus a slow puncture in the race, hindered what could have been a very good result.
Aside from all that here are my thoughts on some of the other aspects around the weekend.
A personal favourite
You might have read elsewhere that the Nurburgring is my favourite circuit, which is true. There probably arent many drivers out there who share the same opinion, with places like Spa or Monaco typically mentioned instead, but theres just something about this track that I really enjoy.
Its difficult to explain why but ever since the first time I raced here Ive had this feeling thats different to all of the other circuits we visit. It began in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 back in 2007 and continued in both Formula Renault 3.5 and GP2. Im happy to say that it was also the case in F1!
The other thing to mention are the German fans, who were as passionate as ever. We were at Silverstone last week where the atmosphere was just as good, albeit in a different way. Its something you can sense in the car and makes the whole weekend that bit more enjoyable.
Lapping the Ring
On top of the racing theres always sponsorship and media appearances to make during any grand prix weekend, although its safe to say theyre not all as exciting as what we got up to in Germany!
On Thursday we did some hot laps at the wheel of a Renault Megane RS around the modern F1 circuit. Its predecessor, the incredible Nordschleife, hosted its last grand prix in 1976 but is still used as a track day venue and, incredibly, for competitive VLN events. And thats where we were on Friday after FP2 to film a feature for Canal Plus race-day build-up with their presenter Margot Laffite and a Caterham 7.
It wasnt the first time that Id driven the circuit but it was still no less crazy! You just cannot compare the current F1 track to its 13-mile-long neighbour. To think that they used to hold grands prix there is quite amazing, especially from a safety point of view. I would also liken it more to a rally stage than race circuit. In F1 a lap typically takes 80-90 seconds, but the Nordschleife record stands at 6 minutes 11! There are around 75 corners (although that number is debated!), big bumps and its incredibly narrow. Factor in the rain and fog that we happily avoided and its like nowhere else in the world.
What is even more amazing however is that competitive races are still held there, the biggest of which is the Nurburgring 24 Hours for GT cars. Its not something that I would think about doing now, but in the future? Why not! It would be a crazy experience and very different to Formula 1 where everything is optimised to the maximum. At the Nordschleife there are more unknowns to contend with.
A word on tyres
A lot has already been written and said about Pirelli changing the construction of their tyres after what happened at Silverstone, so I will keep this brief. Essentially we ended up with a revised rear tyre that contained elements of 2012 and 2013 construction techniques and materials. It wasnt completely unknown to us, therefore, and we only needed to make a couple of small set-up changes as a result. Aside from my slow puncture in the race, which was in no way related to the changes, everything went well.
Looking ahead
Theres now a three-week break before the next GP in Hungary, but dont think well be taking it easy in the meantime! Between now and the end of this week for instance Ill be visiting the factory to see whats in the pipeline, training hard and making an appearance on Sunday at Goodwood Festival of Speed with Caterham to drive the F1 car up the hill and a super-powerful Caterham 7. Then the week after Ill be making a commercial with Renault and a few French sports stars for a new PS3 racing gameAsphalt8which should be a bit different! Keep an eye on my Facebook page for photos and updates.
