Fast Frog

There's only one thing I have to say about Imola: kerbs! They dominate the circuit - the way you drive, the way you set up the car - everything. Get them right, and you're sure to have a fast lap. Get them wrong, and you could find yourself spinning, losing time, or even damaging the car.

The main ones to watch out for are the kerbs at the top chicane - Variante Alta. This section is really critical for a good lap, so it's important to know what you're doing there. When you get them just right, they don't upset the car too much and you can carry a lot of speed through. But when you hit them wrong, you really know about it!

The important thing to remember is not to let them dictate all your thoughts on set-up. Sure, you can set up a car to be fast or at least comfortable over the kerbs, but if you do that you'll be losing time at other places on the track, so really it's all about compromise.

I was on pole at Imola last year, for my very first GP2 race, and I remember feeling a little bit surprised about it because we hadn't been fastest before the season. But suddenly, there we were at the top of the time-sheets!

It was a good lap, sure, but I didn't get the feeling it had been something super-special. Still, it must have been pretty good.

My team, Arden, obviously had a good idea of what was needed at Imola because my teammate Heikki Kovalainen went on to win the race, so overall we had a strong event.

We're hoping for something similar this weekend, obviously, and I have to say that after two positive results at Valencia - fourth in race 1 and third in race 2, I'm feeling confident about challenging for a podium or even a win.

I was pleased with what we achieved in Valencia, because I had a lot of problems in qualifying with traffic and a poor set of tyres, so to come through from 21st to fourth was really satisfying. I think overall it was my best GP2 race so far, as we were able to keep up a really fast, consistent, race pace.

I'm pretty sure we'll carry that forward to Imola, although obviously I want qualifying to go better this time, so that we don't have an extra hurdle to overcome by starting so far back.

I have a pretty good idea of what we need to do. We've worked on it a lot over the past week or so, and there's time I know I can find as well as time in the car. We really should do better this time. I want to start much nearer the front!

I really like Imola as a circuit - always have - and it's one of those places that gives you a good feeling as a driver. It's challenging and demanding, but also satisfying to drive on, and the atmosphere is usually great.

The pasta is fantastic, of course, and there's the extra excitement of being part of the Formula One weekend again. Our last two races - the 2005 finale in Bahrain, and the season-opener in Valencia - were stand-alone, so it'll be good to be involved in the F1 buzz again. It brings an extra level of excitement.

My big target for this weekend is to try to be competitive with Nelson Piquet and Lewis Hamilton. Nelson's in the lead of the championship right now, and I'm sure that he and Lewis are the guys we're going to have to look after over the season. If I can beat them, then it's almost bound to be a good weekend.

Ciao,