Nelson Piquet was a very happy Formula One driver at the end of the recent German grand Prix, the young rookie securing the first podium finish of his short F1 career, and the Renault team’s first for the 2008 season when he crossed the line in second place behind the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton.

Naturally he was thrilled with this outcome and stated that to get a podium is a great reward for the whole team, not just himself, but now, as he heads to Hungary for the next round of the season, the young Brazilian is realistic enough to know that a repeat of his podium performance may be a tall order to fill….

Nelson, you finished second in the German Grand Prix. Talk us through your weekend…
Finishing on the podium was obviously an amazing result for the team. After a disappointing position in qualifying, I thought that was the end of my weekend as I knew it would be difficult to score points. But we didn't give up and the team chose to do something different with the strategy by only stopping once to see if we could take advantage of anything – that proved to be a great decision as I made my only pit stop just as the safety car came out. That meant that we were on the ideal strategy and able to finish on the podium.

How did it feel to stand on the Formula 1 podium for the first time?
Standing on the podium and seeing all the team so happy felt great and it's a big boost for all of us. I know that I was a bit lucky, but you have to take the luck when it comes your way and towards the end of the race we were strong enough to hold on for second place. The car was handling really well, even though we were on the soft tyres, and I was able to push hard and stay consistent. To get a podium is a great reward for the whole team, especially after some of the problems we have had this year, and I'm delighted to get this result in my rookie season. Obviously I hope this is just the beginning as I want to experience the feelings I had in Germany again soon.

We head to Hungary next – a circuit where you enjoyed a great GP2 race a couple of years ago. Are you looking forward to going back there?
Absolutely. My GP2 weekend in 2006 was very special because I won the feature race on the Saturday from pole position and then the sprint race on the Sunday, as well as setting the fastest lap in both races. It was definitely one of my best weekends in racing. It's quite a rewarding track to drive if you can find a good rhythm and it seems to suit my driving style. Obviously I haven't driven there in a Formula 1 car yet, but I'm looking forward to doing that this weekend.

And finally, what are your aims for the weekend?
I think it will be difficult to fight for another podium under usual circumstances because the gap to the leading cars is still too big. I also think that the battle in the midfield will be very competitive, just as it was in Germany, and so I will need to concentrate on getting a good grid position because it is so difficult to overtake in Hungary. If we can reach Q3 then I think the realistic goal is to fight for some points on Sunday, and if we can do that I will be very happy.