Like Spa, this track is an absolute classic. It’s pretty much unchanged from when it was built in 1962 and there’s always a fantastic atmosphere over the race weekend. The fans are very passionate; they’re all over it and they know things like my date of birth and they give me bizarre gifts.

The elevation changes aren’t that obvious on TV, but there are some very steep sections, particularly through the first sector. The approach to Turn 1 is steep downhill and you then head uphill through the snake, which is a sensational series of corners. You’re constantly changing direction at high speed and you need your car to be well balanced.

The first time that you’re travelling slowly on the lap is at the Hairpin, which is Turn 11. You have a slight breather there, but you’re soon travelling fast again, through Spoon, 130R and back towards the chicane. The track’s narrow, so you’ve got to be very accurate.

Last year I had a sensational battle for pole position with Sebastian [Vettel]. We were quick at different places around the lap, so we ended up battling each other on the telemetry and there was half a tenth in it in the end.

I had quite a surreal experience after last year’s race. I finished second, just behind Seb, and caught a helicopter with David [Coulthard] to the airport, where I caught a flight to Brisbane. I still hadn’t had time for a shower, so I had my post-race shower in the ocean at Noosa. I could smell the champagne coming off me, which was a nice feeling.