AT&T Williams F1

“Doors to automatic and cross check.” When we said we were flying high after our double points finish in Melbourne, we didn’t mean it literally – but Air Asia, our partner airline, took us literally. They have decked out one of their Airbus A380s in the AT&T Williams livery and will fly our colours across the Far East.

There has been a lot of noise this week about the future of the Australian Grand Prix. Bernie Ecclestone and the State of Victoria have reached an impasse about whether the event will become a night race, so it came as a surprise to Aussie GP boss Ron Walker when Mr E phoned after the race to offer his congratulations. “He said the spectacle was second to none”, said Ron.

We think it rather apt that the British press awards were held at the Brewery in London’s Barbican on Monday night. The F1 hacks had a good night too: The Daily Telegraph’s F1 correspondent Kevin Garside won specialist correspondent of the year, while The Times’ Ed Gorman was specially commended. So honoured was Garside that he endured 36 hours of Economy Class hell to collect his gong in person.

How has Kimi Raikkonen got over the disappointment of failing to finish the Australian Grand Prix? He’s indulged in some retail therapy, buying a US$1 million house on Phuket’s exclusive Rawai Beach. “It will be a nice place to go with my family and friends when I have two weeks off in the winter,” says Kimi. “To be in a warmer place, to use some of the toys they have there and to be in such nice scenery.”