Hey everyone, I’m back with my second column for F1.com. My rookie year has been full of ups and downs – but I’m really enjoying the challenge and wanted to update you on how it’s been going so far…
The first five races
There were positives, there were negatives, but that’s to be expected at this point in my Formula 1 career. I started the first two laps strongly. The second lap at Jeddah was supposed to be a really good qualifying session, but I had a good enough time to go through and then I didn’t do it on the other two laps. But it was an encouraging start nonetheless.
Then I had two tracks I’ve never ridden before – Melbourne’s Albert Park and Miami’s street circuit – (with Baku in between) and that made things a whole lot more difficult. Despite this, I learned a lot and had a lot of fun.
Baku got better and better from session to session but the crash in the sprint shootout overshadowed the weekend, although I took some positives from both qualifying sessions this weekend as I made it into Q2.
My home race in Miami was an incredible experience. I was born just 30 minutes from the Fort Lauderdale circuit so it was pretty cool to drive a Formula 1 car there in front of an amazing crowd. The drivers’ parade has been one of the coolest moments of the year so far. I enjoyed interacting with the American fans on a weekend that was busy from start to finish.
On track it was more difficult to keep up with the track, especially in the first sector. It wasn’t until qualifying that I had the feeling that it would work, but by then it was a bit too late.
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When the field is so tight, margins are so small and even the smallest mistake can cost you dearly. It was disappointing to start 20th and then get a touch on the first lap that forced an early pit stop but I felt I had good grip on the tires to allow for a good learning experience.
Williams supports me completely, it’s a great feeling. We all know something needs to be done – that’s why the support is there. It’s about getting a cleaner weekend, not worrying too much about pure lap time or pace and then going from there. We try, although that’s easier said than done.
Stay busy off the track
Back in Melbourne, my coach Ben Jacobs, an ex-rugby player, and I had a chance to throw a ball around with rugby pros Reece Hodge and Andrew Kellaway. I played a bit of rugby at school so I’ve improved my passing game! My trainer did a conversion on his first try which was pretty cool!
We flew directly from Australia to New York with Williams for three days. We conducted media activities every day from 9am to 4pm. My brother came over and we had time from 4pm until after dinner to hang out and see the city. I loved it from the moment I landed.
I was there once as a child, but I couldn’t remember the experience. It’s one of those cities where you can feel an energy when you visit – that there’s something special. I don’t know if that’s because, as an American, I’m biased! Maybe I don’t get to do it as often in London anymore because I live here and I’m used to it. But I loved New York and can’t wait to go back.
The best thing we could do professionally was some media on the roof of the Empire State Building. We were lucky enough to visit the private viewing area. You had an uninterrupted 360 degree view of the city and you could lean forward and see how steep the descent was!
My favorite thing to do outside of work was going to a famous Brooklyn restaurant called Peter Luger. It’s one of New York’s oldest steakhouses, dating back to the 1880s. The quality of the steak was amazing as was the custom steak sauce.
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In Miami, Alex and I took the convertible for a spin downtown. I was behind the wheel because Alex will get his chance when we do a similar cruise around Monaco later this month.
We were recognized several times along the way, which is always nice. It was great to spend some more time with Alex. During the drive we chatted a bit about how we thought the first part of the season would go for us, but especially as a team.
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A highlight of the trip was a stop at Walt Grace Vintage in Wynwood. The place was full of vintage guitars and classic cars. It was a very cool place.
Get on the European foot
Nothing has come together for me this year, but coming to Europe, starting with Imola in Italy, I think things should be a little easier. Arriving at a track I’ve raced before makes a huge difference. You don’t have to prepare so much for the weekend and you can attack FP1 a lot more. It gets you closer to the limit, which means you have more time doing less than I have to do on new tracks.
That was the biggest challenge: going to a new place and not getting where I need to be fast enough and being too busy in qualifying.
When you have driven a track many times, you know how it must be driven, what you can ask of the car and how each corner must be taken. On a new track, you learn that while you’re on the road. These small differences make a big difference.
I can’t wait for this European triple header. I give everything – I just have to bring everything together.
Thank you for the support and I’ll get back to you soon.
logan
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