The most important thing to say is that our new aero package – complete with double diffuser – is having an impact. That was clear for everyone to see and it has given the whole team a tremendous boost.

In the first two free practice sessions on Friday, I wasn't too sure what difference it was actually making. The new aero components required a change in the setup and it wasn't easy finding a sensible balance. During the lunch break, we made some adjustments and learned our lesson from the results. My first lap time in the afternoon was pathetic because the car had severe oversteer, but I wasn't too upset because the changes we had made were so obviously in the wrong direction that we now had a clear idea of what needed to be done. Also, we knew that the car was good for long runs. Somewhat to our surprise, we found that the hard tyres were the better choice for racing.

Overnight, we made a lot of changes to the car and the difference was immediately apparent. We also made good use of the third free practice session to prepare for qualifying. I was in seventh position as I started my last outing in Q2 and I'm certain I could have made the cut, but on my out-lap I got stuck in traffic. It's in the nature of the tyres we're using this year that the slightest interruption during warm-up means they don't reach their optimal temperature and that will ruin your flying lap. That was annoying, of course, but starting from eleventh on the grid has its advantages: you're on the clean side of the track and you can decide your own fuel load. But anyway, what really matters is that we can see the progress we have made. The criticisms about our pace of development have been fully justified. The innovations for Istanbul – our double diffuser, streamlined bodywork, adapted front wings and new wheel hubs – aren't going to be our last update by any means; we've got plenty more in the pipeline.

Yours,






For more information about the Turkey GP and all the results, check out the trackside menu