The British Grand Prix was another disappointing race for Giancarlo Fisichella, his race ending early with a high-speed suspension failure. However, plenty of passing (including some by Giancarlo himself) meant that the British Grand Prix wasn't all bad news, even with the track invader. Meeting Jordan fans was another bright point of the weekend, as Giancarlo looks forward to improved equipment at this weekend's race. Read all about it, through Fisichella's visor...

I reckon for sheer excitement - with so many battles going on throughout the field and, for what seemed the entire race, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone was fantastic!

That was one hell of a Grand Prix! It seemed action packed from the moment we all stormed off the grid - not least because of the two safety car incidents and the intensity and closeness of the tyre war now, but also the layout of the Silverstone track. They were the key elements that set the scene for so many overtaking manoeuvres, while endless battles raged from the leading pack all the way down the field. I hope it was as compelling to watch as it was exciting and challenging for me to compete in. From what I have since heard, it was certainly good news for Formula One, just what the sport needed.

For sure the new qualifying rules have certainly mixed up the start order, placing a number of faster cars in the middle of the grid, and on other occasions from the back of the grid or the pitlane. This all adds up to a lot more jostling for position as we charge towards the first corner. When you add the occasional launch control glitch, clutch problem or heavy fuel loads to the equation, then the unpredictability factor of what could happen at the beginning of a Grand Prix is significant.

Starting from 15th position, I was in the thick of the action, and as always, I was mindful of getting through the first corner without collecting or tripping over anyone along the way. My former teammate Jenson Button got past me, so for the first lap I dropped to 16th. Not a position I wanted to remain in for long - but with 59 laps remaining I was hopeful of improving my position significantly, especially if we had some rain towards the end of the race.

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The weekend had started quite well, and the Jordan Ford team and I were determined to put on a good show for all our supporters, team personnel and their families attending our home Grand Prix. Although we made steady progress throughout the weekend to find a reasonable balance, my EJ13 was still off the pace and I was left languishing in 16th position during Friday's free practice and qualifying session. Then of course we had the changeable British weather to contend with; Friday - very cool with the occasional rain shower, Saturday - hot and sunny, together with a particularly strong wind with both a tail wind and a head wind, enough to challenge even the best engineer's calculations. Once again it was a compromise between straight-line speed - for Hangar straight where we can reach speeds of 190 mph (305 km/h) against downforce for stability to maximise the many challenging corners at Silverstone.

After the two practice sessions and warm-up on Saturday, I was reasonably happy with the set-up and I pushed hard on my qualifying lap. The car was a little nervous, but nothing untoward, and although I did a good lap without any mistakes, 15th was the best I could achieve. Not where I wanted to be, but I was hopeful that with our race strategy and if the weather played into our hands - wet conditions - then we could have a good race.

Anything can happen - and it did! First we had a Safety Car situation to clear debris off the track in the form of David Coulthard's headrest, then on lap 12 the Safety Car was deployed for a second time. Instead of debris on the track this time, it was an intruder - a Priest running towards us! Everyone (excluding the drivers who had pitted during the first Safety Car incident) dived into the pits to change tyres and refuel. It was like rush hour in Rome or, as the English would call it, Piccadilly Circus, as the entire pitlane burst into life with two-thirds of the grid waiting to be or being refuelled and fitted with new tyres.

Meanwhile several drivers were left queuing, having to wait to enter their box while their teammates were feverishly worked on. You have to marvel at the way in which the teams reacted to that situation, flying into action and turning their drivers around with split-second timing without further incident. Unfortunately, as I approached the pitlane to make my first pitstop from 12th position, I was held up by Jacques Villeneuve who appeared to be crawling into the pitlane. When I rejoined the field, which was now seriously mixed-up, I was in 17th place, while my teammate Ralph rocketed up to 7th as he had pitted during the first Safety Car situation.

Meanwhile I had my own battles to fight and progressed to 16th for five laps, then 15th, and by lap 31 I had moved up to 12th, then 11th, then 10th. My second pitstop was made on lap 38 when I was lying 14th. Once again the team gave me a great pitstop and when I returned to the track I had only lost one position. Unfortunately my exciting battles all ended on lap 46 when my right rear suspension failed as I approached Becketts at about 176 mph (285 km/h). I have to admit that I was a little surprised! During those few moments, I was merely a high-speed passenger as my Jordan-Ford bounced and spun across the grass. Fortunately Heinz-Harald Frentzen managed to avoid me when I rejoined the track. As I brought my EJ13 slowly back to the pits I reflected on some great battles I had had, which helped to ease my disappointment of not finishing at the team's home Grand Prix.

We had found a good balance in the car, the engine didn't miss a beat and the pace was quite good. At least that showed that we were moving in the right direction, and it was a positive result for the team to take away from their weekend's hard work. I was able to catch and overtake my teammate - who after pitting on lap 6 had benefited from all the chaos and confusion during the second Safety Car incident - and it was great to see he finished his first British Grand Prix. During the mid-section of the race, I was able to keep David Coulthard's McLaren behind me for several laps. It's not easy to pass at Silverstone, and everyone has to deserve each passing move.

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Finally, the Bridgestone tyres gave me a little more grip, and so with a different tyre construction and an engine performance step from Cosworth for the German Grand Prix next Sunday, 3rd August, I shall be pushing 101% again and hoping to score some points for my Jordan Ford team. It would also be a great way to thank all the Jordan personnel and Club members I met over the British Grand Prix weekend at the Jordan Experience at the Jordan Village situated outside Jordan Grand Prix headquarters.

There was a fantastic atmosphere each time I appeared over the weekend and it was just great to see so many fans - I was surprised and touched how much affection they showed towards me. It made me feel good. So now I would like to give them something to cheer about again. Of course my first target is to finish, and although I think it will be tough, my next target is to score points. Let's wait and see what we can achieve at Hockenheim this weekend!

Ciao a tutti!

Giancarlo Fisichella's column is written exclusively for Atlas F1 by Fisichella himself, with the assistance of friend and freelance journalist Georgie Shaw.
Fisichella's official website can be found at http://www.giancarlofisichella.it.