I gotta cut smoking or I'll never make track next year
It is one thing to drive a Formula 1 car, and it is another thing to actually race it.
My focus in 2010 was on just running fast races. My focus in 2011 was for winning at the World Championships. This year has been a combination of the two so we'll see what kind of time it brings.
Doing the long endurance stuff seems to have given me the strength to sustain the speed. I think my body is just a lot stronger (thanks to the marathon)... By increasing the long runs, I found that does not take anything away from the speed but increases the strength on the track.
A guy like me, yes, I am good in terms of championship races, and that's where I dominate - but in terms of running fast times, I haven't quite done that.
Mansell is slowing it down, taking it easy. Oh, no he isn't! It's a lap record.
When you win a Grand Prix, it's the culmination of everything coming together. Not just trackside, but behind the scenes.
What I have to show, I show on the track.
I have run two Olympic 'A' standard times over the past 12 months and with the time I ran at the African Championships last week I know my speed and fitness are constantly improving so that I will peak in time for the Olympics.
You think I'm a pretty good race car driver? Wait until you see my brother. He's the best driver in the family.
You know, sometimes the little victories that I have throughout the season are not necessarily obvious on the track. Maybe they're another aspect of what I'm doing, winning little victories here and there to get everything in line to be able to perform from top to bottom on race day.
I started to practise shooting more seriously, more than once a week. I wasn't very good at it before, but I got a lot better. I've also become a little bit stronger on the tracks, too, which has increased my chances of success.
For some reason, the busier I am at the track, the better I tend to race. I think it's because I don't have to deal with all the distractions outside the car that can get me in trouble at times.
I have proved I have more than linear speed. Track guys are known for not being able to catch, for not having good hands.
It is vitally important for me to concentrate on myself, on the work that I have to do on the track and off it with the engineers, without really thinking about what people are expecting from me on the outside.
The drivability of an engine is a big part of the setup on a road course. If you can't squeeze the gas down you can't go anywhere.
You don’t drive races on paper.
I feel like what I have learned in my career in racing is that anytime you are happy off the race track it tends to show up on the race track.
I really like the Evo from '2Fast.' That car is a lot of fun as a daily driver. They're really quick on the track, too, when they're set up right.
Each time you go to the same track you know whether you're improving or whether you're not... it's not open to interpretation. It's measurable - unlike acting.
It's just fantastic to feel the speed and the braking. It was a hard work - to hold an f1 car on the circuit is a job in itself. To drive quickly is another thing. I enjoyed it.
It's all about proving it on the track and proving to people that have different views wrong.
Every time I get in the car, I'm just focused on being the fastest, trying to win the race, trying to get pole.
Do I care about what men say at the race track? No, not at all. I've always said I race for me, because I love racing. I don't race to prove a point about how well a woman can do against men on the track.
When you drive it is you, the car and your performance on track that counts. That is why I do it.
