It's hard to believe that we are approaching the halfway point of the World Series by Renault season, but time has flown since we kicked off in Monza and we are now approaching the Hungaroring.
As expected, it's been a tough campaign so far, as the championship is proving to be very competitive, but I have enjoyed most of what has gone on, even if I am a little lower in the standings than I would have hoped.
As we head into the second half of the year, all I’m focusing on is trying to improve my qualifying pace. My race pace is always good, but I need to qualify higher up to make the most of that. We’ve still got some fantastic circuits to visit - Le Mans is new to me, so I’m really looking forward to that one, as I am to returning to Estoril, where I had a strong weekend in 2007 - so there is a lot to play for.
Our most recent outing was, of course, at Silverstone, which gave me the chance to race in front of my home crowd again. A year ago, I was lucky enough to realise the feeling of winning on home soil, at
Donington Park, and, even though there was no repeat this time, from a racing point of view, Silverstone was fantastic.
I found myself having a lot of wheel-to-wheel battles in both races at
Silverstone. Even though it’s is a very wide circuit, it is still very difficult to overtake, as I found out when I passed Charles Pic with all four wheels on the grass going down the Hangar Straight!
The results may not have gone out way, but the support that all the British drivers got was unreal. During the pit-lane walkabout, we couldn’t move, but it was a lot of fun and a fantastic atmosphere. I think Silverstone did a mega job and I’m sure every single spectator enjoyed it. I think the total attendance figure was 110,000, and I must say it really makes a difference to have that many people cheering you on.
Racing at home means a lot to any driver but, for me, when I don't get that many chances to return to my 'real' home in Jersey, it means a lot more to get support from the British fans.
