Okayama: Alex Zanardi weekend summary

WHAT A BAD EXIT! The exit to Japan, unfortunately, has been one to be forgotten. The circuit of Aida confined us to a desolated hermitage where the nice track we raced on was the only positive trait. We run a difficult race under a leaden sky ...

WHAT A BAD EXIT!

The exit to Japan, unfortunately, has been one to be forgotten. The circuit of Aida confined us to a desolated hermitage where the nice track we raced on was the only positive trait.

We run a difficult race under a leaden sky that eventually released the rain making the tarmac very difficult to deal with. I have been one of the chicken victim of that trap: in race one I was really fast and I wasted a good recover with a spin due to a contact with a rival. What a shame, at that point I already overtook several drivers including Tom Coronel, the winner of race two.

In the second manche, I started thirteenth and I chose slick tyres. After a good getaway I decided to keep quiet my heat because I knew that, the track getting drier, I would have had easy life against my opponents that made a different tyre choice. Unfortunately, right at the beginning of the second lap, in a trivial swerve on the main straight to avoid the contact with another driver, my left tyres ended up on the wet grass and that caused an uproar.

My BMW spun in the blink of an eye and, despite my desperate efforts to keep the control of it I made a crash that made my dentures vibrate.

I am very sorry not only for the inglorious celebration of my birthday, but most of all for all the men of the team that, despite all the troubles we had, worked with the usual enthusiasm giving me a car that this time I did not exploit to its best.

I know, that's part of the game, but honestly, it is difficult to accept the idea of having wasted such a golden chance.

Now only Macau is left to end the season with a smile and I will give my best to make this happen.