Nelson's Column - 7 August
I’m writing this from Brazil where I have come to visit my family in the August break after two strong race weekends, one of which saw me take my first Formula 1 podium.
A lot happened in the second half of July and I picked up 11 points out of the last two races. I knew that with time the results would begin to come and the aim now is to continue improving and achieve consistent points-scoring results.
After qualifying 17th on Saturday in Hockenheim, I thought the weekend was over. However, we opted for an aggressive strategy in the race and the team made some great decisions when the safety car came out after Timo Glock’s accident. I had to concentrate for the second half of the race, keep a good pace and look after my tyres as much as possible.
Although I was leading for some laps, I knew that Lewis was much faster than me and I did not want to take any pointless risks – I was very happy with the second place and the podium! It was a great reward for the whole team after many months of hard work and it was a very special moment for me.
It did not seem too long before we were in Hungary for the race in Budapest and I went there confident after the step we made in Hockenheim.
We had a strong weekend overall and although it was hard to get into Q3, both Fernando and I qualified in the top ten which set us up well for Sunday. I made a good start, but unfortunately I made a small mistake on the first lap, which I lost two positions that I had initially made up. It shows that at this level you cannot afford to make the smallest error.
After starting tenth I was happy with my sixth place finish – it was some valuable points in the bag, which also looks promising for the rest of the season.
I am continuing to learn and I am determined to keep building on this progress when we go to Valencia at the end of the month.
Nelson Piquet
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