What a fabulous result! My second podium finish of the year and a career-best second place. I’m absolutely delighted, both for the team and me. I hope this result gives everyone at the factory in Grove a big morale boost; you all deserve it.

My FW30 was strong all weekend in Singapore: I was inside the top 10 in every practice session and the car showed great pace throughout the race. I could overtake people when I needed to and the balance was consistent on both the prime and the option tyre. But that’s not to say it was a straightforward race, as I’m sure most of you saw on TV!

When the first Safety Car was deployed on lap 15, I thought my chances of getting a good result were finished. I had to pit for fuel while the pitlane was still closed and awaited my punishment from the stewards. Luckily, they had to deal with the pitlane dramas going on at Ferrari before turning their attention to me and by the time of my 10-second stop-go penalty on lap 28, I’d built up a 13 second gap at the front of the field. That meant I was able to rejoin the race behind Fernando [Alonso].

Thereafter I drove as hard as I could and had to withstand a lot of pressure from Lewis [Hamilton] towards the end, but I had everything under control. When I crossed the line, I felt a huge sense of relief, both for the result and for the fact that the race was over because it was very hot out there! It was like sitting in a sauna for two hours.

I went to the Amber Lounge on Sunday night to celebrate with the team. One of the great things about staying on European time for the week was that we could party away until 0700 Monday morning, yet we get into bed only one hour later than normal! It was awesome.

Now I’m off to Bali for a few days’ holiday with my girlfriend, Vivian. I plan to do a bit of surfing while we’re there, even though people keep telling me to be careful of the coral. It lies close to the shore on some beaches, so you need to choose your location carefully. Frank, if you’re reading this, rest assured that I will!

Then it’s off to Fuji Speedway for the Japanese Grand Prix in two weeks time. The weather was awful last year and Kazuki [Nakajima] tells me to expect more of the same this year. Now, where’s my brolly?