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We won’t forget Melbourne 2008 in a hurry. Behind all the press communications of the teams that didn’t make the finishing line lay the realisation that this race represented a great opportunity to take points…
However, ifs and buts don’t count. I too could have picked up a couple of points if… well, if my hydraulic system hadn’t leaked.
After a disappointing qualifying session, the engine and moocoque had to be changed for the race. The reason was the car spin which caused the car to hit the curbs causing so much damage that both had to be replaced.
For my engineers that meant unfortunately an extra workshift. As ever they did a fantastic job in getting the car back into shape in time. Big thanks to all involved.
However the replacement also meant that I had to start from the pit lane. This proved not to be so bad as I was able to avoid the crash at the start and by the end of the first lap I was up to P16. The car was handling well and I was soon up with Piquet, Bourdais and Glock ahead of me.
I was able to overtake Piquet and Bourdais and then I held on behind Timo Glock who I was comfortable in matching for speed. I think at that time he had a heavier fuel load than me. I was just about to make my move, even had my nose under his front wing, when my hydraulic system failed. I couldn’t shift gear and could barely steer.
At first your world seems to collapse. You spend weeks preparing for the first GP and then after 8 laps it’s over. The real pain however was when I watched the end of the race with the team. They dropped like flies one after another. And each time we said to ourselves if only our car had held it together…
Like some of the other drivers I flew on the Sunday night directly from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur. I will prepare there for 3 days with my trainer and acclimatise to the temperatures and high air humidity of Malaysia. In 5 days I will be back at the wheel with Melbourne behind me and everyone with the opportunity of getting a good result. I will keep you posted.
Wish me luck, sometimes it can come in really handy!
Yours, Adrian
However, ifs and buts don’t count. I too could have picked up a couple of points if… well, if my hydraulic system hadn’t leaked.
After a disappointing qualifying session, the engine and moocoque had to be changed for the race. The reason was the car spin which caused the car to hit the curbs causing so much damage that both had to be replaced.
For my engineers that meant unfortunately an extra workshift. As ever they did a fantastic job in getting the car back into shape in time. Big thanks to all involved.
However the replacement also meant that I had to start from the pit lane. This proved not to be so bad as I was able to avoid the crash at the start and by the end of the first lap I was up to P16. The car was handling well and I was soon up with Piquet, Bourdais and Glock ahead of me.
I was able to overtake Piquet and Bourdais and then I held on behind Timo Glock who I was comfortable in matching for speed. I think at that time he had a heavier fuel load than me. I was just about to make my move, even had my nose under his front wing, when my hydraulic system failed. I couldn’t shift gear and could barely steer.
At first your world seems to collapse. You spend weeks preparing for the first GP and then after 8 laps it’s over. The real pain however was when I watched the end of the race with the team. They dropped like flies one after another. And each time we said to ourselves if only our car had held it together…
Like some of the other drivers I flew on the Sunday night directly from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur. I will prepare there for 3 days with my trainer and acclimatise to the temperatures and high air humidity of Malaysia. In 5 days I will be back at the wheel with Melbourne behind me and everyone with the opportunity of getting a good result. I will keep you posted.
Wish me luck, sometimes it can come in really handy!
Yours, Adrian
