Back in Diriyah. Thoughts after a long break from racing.

I’m sitting in a hotel in Diriyah, 3 days before the first race of the new Formula E season is due. Outside, the sun is shining and much seems familiar. It feels good to have the familiarity of a race back. And here at that. That’s something special to me. After all, I have the best memories of this city.

During my debut as driver for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team last year, I took a direct route to the podium – what a start! The track suits me. It’s smooth, fast and with changes in height. The round curves are atypical for the Formula E but drive well. An amazing track that’s fun to drive. And at night even, this year. I’m pretty sure, that’ll be cool.

The journey was a relaxed one. Flying to Diriyah with the entire team from Weissach was a relief. Working in the sim was different to the previous weeks – in a positive sense. The goal was to prepare for a race, after all. Now, I’m just happy and thankful to be here and be able to race again. What would the alternative look like? No races? I’d rather go with the current restrictions and practice my profession. Motorsport has always been part of my life; I’ve put many things aside for it. No matter how tired I was, how many weekends I spent abroad. I just wanted to race. And for that, I readily enter quarantine, if needed.

And hey, honestly? Finally, I can take the time to answer urgent emails, reply to my fans, play some games and watch all those YouTube videos. I wonder what my buddies are doing tonight? I should drop them a line, maybe we’ll get together online …