When Jimmie Johnson goes out early and finishes 35th, as he did Sunday, he can look at the cameras, lament about it being a tough day, and then say, 'We'll just try to get them next week at Darlington.'
Nobody loves the Boston Marathon as much as the people who make fun of it year after year. This was the race that previously offered as a prize a not particularly expensive medal, a laurel wreath, and a bowl of beef stew. This was the race that, on one memorable occasion, nobody knew who actually won.
If you are out in two races and someone else has a good couple of races, it could change. So all we do is try to get the optimum every time.
You know, when my dad was a racing fan in Australia he would follow Jack Brabham and sometimes only hear if he won two days after a race - when the result finally appeared in his newspaper. These days I can tweet something and it's all over the world in seconds.
In some ways, that's the story of my season - when I wasn't making big mistakes, I was winning races and being on the podium. And when I made mistakes I was still fourth or fifth, just off the podium.
Winter testing is essential but there comes a point where you have had enough of all the rehearsals and the pretend racing. You just want to get down to the real action.
I always work the same way, starting from the beginning of the weekend, so I know at the beginning of the race, from all that I have analysed during the practice, whether I will win the race or not.
That strategy of racing for the top five and racing for the win is where everybody wants to be.
The Chip also reduces the damage done by bandits. They still steal drinks and cheers along the course, but no longer scramble the paying runners' results. No entry fee, no Chip, no time or place.
So in fact the only thing you can judge in this sport its the longterm. You can judge a career or a season, but not one race.
I think I don't really have any expectations; I don't look at the season as a whole - I look at it race by race.
We get paid based on where we are in the Constructors' Championship so therefore we want the fastest and best drivers we can get in the car.
If you don't finish half of the races, you are not going to have a very good season.
As you look at the first four, the significant thing is that Alboreto is fifth.
