Williams end of season review with Nico Rosberg
Q: What's your view of the season as a whole?
Nico Rosberg: The balance of the year has been positive. In many ways, it's been a good year
for me. As is normal during a long season, we had some ups and downs. Races
seemed to start off well in the opening rounds of the season, but the results just
weren't there. As the season progressed, though, we were able to capitalise on
strong starting positions, get some good results and consistently collect
championship points. So yes, it was a good year.
Q: The FW29 seemed a stronger proposition from its predecessor, why was
that?
NR: We've definitely made progress since last year and achieved that in a number
of different ways. A lot of improvement came following some careful restructuring
of the existing team and then by bringing a few very skilled and
experienced new people onboard. From the very first tests, the FW29 was
working pretty well which allowed us to further develop it throughout the season,
both at the factory and on the track.
Q: You seemed a lot more comfortable in the car this year, was that the
case?
NR: One of the key things I really noticed this year was that, while the car was
improving both mechanically and aerodynamically, we were also managing to
set it up in the most advantageous way for most of the circuits. I was able to get
the speed more consistently and, together with my engineers, we were able to
set up the car to a balance that really suited my driving style which meant I
could really push for it. This led to many fantastic moments, particularly in
qualifying where I managed to make it into Q3 11 times. Some of the race
results even proved quite surprising this year!
Q: Do you feel you've made some personal progress since your rookie
season?
NR: For sure. I learnt a lot in my first year and that allowed me to prepare myself
differently for my second year in Formula One. I knew exactly which areas to
concentrate on. I am very critical of myself, so I am good at seeing where to
develop, which helped me to improve things quicker. The routines involved in
race preparation also slotted into place, so this season was relatively normal. It
naturally takes some time to adapt to new things when you go into a different
world, but this year there weren't any surprises. My development, combined
with that of the team's, meant we were able to get some good results. I think
with an even stronger car, I could show what I can really do.
Q: What were the highlights of your season?
NR: I think the best memory comes from Spa. After the pre-race test, we weren't
convinced we were going to be particularly competitive so I was expecting a
poor weekend. However, a great lap in qualifying put me in sixth position on the
grid. Going into the first corner at the start of the race, there were just two
Ferraris and two McLarens ahead of me and that was good to see!
Melbourne was also quite positive because of my pass on Ralf (Schumacher). I
was really pleased with that because it made fourth possible from a very difficult
situation, and because the car wasn't that great in qualifying. I would even put
Malaysia on my list. I had a good battle with the BMWs in the initial part of the
race, which really showed our potential speed. Even though I didn't finish the
race, it was still great fun.
Last, but not least, Brazil has to be up there because its where I achieved my
best result in Formula One so far, finishing fourth having started in 10th. I had
another good fight with the BMWs and I beat them fair and square with a well
executed overtaking manoeuvre going into the first corner. That finish also
meant the team secured fourth place in the Constructors' Championship. To
sum up, I've had a lot of really good experiences this year and I feel I can go
into the winter happy!
-credit: williams
