Nakajima eyes podium finish in 2009

Kazuki Nakajima is hoping to reach the podium in 2009 following a promising debut season with the Williams team

The Japanese driver managed nine points in 2008, after finishing in the top eight five times.

His performances earned him a new contract with Williams, and Nakajima is aiming go have a stronger season in 2009.

"To get better results than I did this year and to maybe get a podium. That would be really great," Nakajima told the Williams website in an interview.

He added: "I've learnt a lot about what it takes to be a Formula One driver, but there's always still more to learn."

The 23-yer-old also admitted he was pleased with his season, in which he scored a sixth place finish as his best result.

"I think it was a good first year, although it wasn't perfect, obviously," he added. "It wasn't easy when the car didn't suit the track, but I do feel that I've developed myself throughout the year, which is a really important thing to do in your rookie year.

"I think my best race was probably Singapore. It was a great event, the atmosphere was amazing and the team got another podium with Nico and I scored a point after quite a difficult race. My worst race was probably Bahrain when my anti-stall didn't kick in at the start.

"That pushed me to the back of the field, and then I had a spin so I pretty much spent the race fighting my way up from last."