It’s Cool that you throw up a bit of dust

This weekend in India has been one of mixed emotions for me. I love the country and the circuit, but obviously I had been hoping for a different result. I was going well up till the collision with Felipe Massa, which the s t ew a rd s judged was his fault. After that, I was never going to finish higher than seventh.

Saturday’s qualifying went really well for me. To be able to split the Red Bulls on qualifying pace is something that everybody in the team should feel proud about. In fact, I’ve been really happy with my qualifying performance throughout the whole year – it’s been getting more and more consistent. On my last run, I was only a tenth down going into the penultimate corner, but I chose to abort the lap and save the tyres for the race. Unfortunately, I’ve dropped three places on the grid because of a mistake I made in free practice on Friday, but that’s life. I take full responsibility for the situation. After all, I’m the one in the cockpit and nobody else.

I also think it’s cool that you throw up a bit of dust when you go off-line. That’s how racing should be. There should be grass and dirt when you go off the track. I also want to say a big thank-you to the organizers. This circuit is smooth, fast and flowing. It’s beautiful, in fact; the facilities are fantastic and the people have been extremely welcoming. This is one of the best circuits in the world and it’s definitely a race people should come to visit.

There are only two races left this year – Abu Dhabi and Brazil. After 17 Grands Prix, I have to be honest and say that this season has not been my best. There have been a lot of ups and downs. I had been hoping for more consistency from our car, but in any case, the team has done a great job and got us into a position where we now have the second fastest car behind Red Bull and where we could even win some races. None of the others have come that close.

Our principal Martin Whitmarsh has said that the team ought to have done more to provide us two drivers with a better car, but frankly it was my driving that was the main obstacle. I can, must and will be better, and I aim to prove that next season. Oh yes, another major resolution for 2012 is not to be hauled up in front of the stewards quite so often. I’ve been there far too often this term. Obviously, I don’t have a magic recipe for turning things round next year, but I think you just have to collect experiences and match them up like a jigsaw puzzle. All the pieces have to fit together. Formula One is a tough business. To be successful, you have to be able to focus your mind clearly.

You have to live and breathe the sport. There is no room for anything else. I try to eliminate any distractions outside of Formula One. Obviously that doesn’t apply to my family and my father, but anything that might prevent me from doing my job properly. That’s just the beginning. I have to do the rest myself.