Pic: Hopefully we can bounce back from a tough weekend

Hi everyone

So not the best of weekends in Spa for me personally. Aside from the two practice sessions things just didn’t work out, either in qualifying where we opted for intermediate tyres instead of slicks and got called to the weighbridge at the wrong moment, or then in the race which lasted just eight laps before an oil leak ended my afternoon early.

That’s a real shame as it was clear throughout the weekend that we had strong pace. I was happy with my opening run in qualifying in the damp conditions and was able to quickly pass both Marussias at the start of the race. Before the technical problem I was right on Giedo’s tail, too. We’re therefore confident of our chances in Italy next weekend. Onwards and upwards.

Summer holidays

This is my first newsletter since the summer break which I divided between Montélimar with my family in southern France and Corsica. It’s great to have some extended time off during the season in order to recharge batteries, although only one of those three weeks was actually spent relaxing. I was training hard during the other two in order to remain fully fit for Spa.

Let’s get quizzical

As a bit of fun over the Belgian Grand Prix weekend me and Giedo were asked by one of the F1 broadcasters to take part in a quiz for their pre-show coverage. It involved us being shown full track diagrams and then specific sections, which we had to correctly identify. If I’m honest I wasn’t very good at all and only got one or two right!

Now it might sound strange that a racing driver can’t tell which circuit is which on a piece of paper despite driving so many laps around them, but that’s not how we plan our weekends. Instead, we use the simulator and have the layout imprinted in our memory from visual experience rather than studying maps. It was funny though and we both had a good laugh.

Hard yards

The familiar face you often see with me in the paddock or on the grid is Emilien, my personal trainer and close friend. We’ve been working together since the end of 2010 when I was competing in GP2. He’s very good at mixing up my training programme so that each activity is enjoyable and varied, whilst working all of the key muscles and organs, so that it doesn’t become boring and repetitive. There’s no strict plan as such. One day we might be cycling, the next running and then playing tennis. We always train in the week building up to a grand prix but then, during the weekend, the physicality of driving the car is enough on its own.

So that’s your lot until Monza in just over a week where hopefully we can bounce back from a tough weekend. Like Spa it’s another of the classic circuits on the calendar that we all love to visit, especially as it has the highest average speed of the year. I cannot wait!

Speak soon,

Charles