How disappointing was it to get mixed up in a first lap accident at Istanbul?
It’s very frustrating because your race is effectively over practically before you have started. It’s quite a bottle-neck first corner at Istanbul Park but I had qualified in the top 10 again and thought that I had a decent chance of scoring points. By the time I rejoined and crossed the line at the end of the first lap, there was only one car behind me.

What happened at the start?
I made a good start and was fighting with Rosberg, but as I braked for the first corner Fisichella hit me from behind. That spun me around and when I rejoined I was at the back.

You certainly seemed to waste no time making up ground?
Yeah, I think I made up five places in six laps and I did a particularly good move to pass Jenson Button. But you simply lose too much time and finishing in 16th position proved that. The car definitely felt well balanced but I was never in clean air to demonstrate its potential.

Had you been happy with the car throughout the weekend?
I was fourth quickest in the second practice session on Friday but I was not entirely happy on Saturday. I qualified ninth but I didn’t have complete confidence to attack as hard as I wanted to with the brakes. My qualifying time was as quick as I could go in the circumstances.

What are your thoughts on the car’s current level of competitiveness?
We have been quite competitive in recent races, since Indianapolis really, but for various reasons we have not achieved the results we hoped for. The midfield battle is very tight and everything needs to go perfectly if you are to get a really good result. But the car is still improving and the balance in the race in Turkey was actually quite good. It was just a shame we never really got the opportunity to see how competitive we were because we were caught up in traffic the whole race.

Did you have any significant changes on the car in Turkey?
We had a new front wing which was definitely a good step, as well as an updated floor. The car is improving thanks to the team’s hard work and we are going in the right direction but of course we still have work to do.

Are you looking forward to your home race at Monza?
I like racing in Italy, in front of my fans, because I get a lot of support which makes it special. But before the race we have the test so we will have to wait to see how everything works out this week before making any predictions for the race.

What makes Monza so different from other circuits?
It is a very high-speed track, with long straights and then slow chicanes. Really it is completely different from all other tracks on the calendar and because of that we need to bring a specific aerodynamic package just for Monza. This is low downforce and low drag so we can get the highest possible speed on the straights.

Has the GPDA been pushing for circuit changes?
I have been speaking with the circuit on behalf of the GPDA and the only area concerned was the second chicane. Tarmac has been laid instead of gravel in the area where you could go straight on and I’m sure that it should be better.