The Renault F1 Team's Spanish driver is looking forward to racing at home in front of the Spanish public.
Your home race must be a very special moment for you?We test at Barcelona all the time, but you only get to race there once a year. To see the grandstands full of 100,000 people and know that 95% of them are supporting Renault is a unique sight, and something it’s hard to forget. It is a special feeling to be at my home race, in front of my people, and I am looking forward to that. The circuit will not be new for any of the drivers, but there is always something different about actually racing at Barcelona.
What about the pressure and weight of expectation – does it affect you?For me, the attention adds motivation not pressure. Obviously, I need to make sure it doesn’t disrupt my preparations, but the attention from the fans is definitely a big boost for me. When I am driving, it gives me something extra: somehow, you concentrate more, you focus more. I remember from last year on the last lap, how everybody was stood in the stands cheering – they are fantastic supporters in Barcelona, and the crowd definitely gives me a boost.
All the drivers know Barcelona perfectly: where can you make a difference as a driver?It is much harder than at other circuits, definitely, but it comes from the car and also yourself as a driver. You can make up time under braking, and there are four fast corners where a bit more commitment, a bit more speed, can gain some time, particularly in the last two. But it is only small things, fractions of a second, and to create an advantage over your rivals, you must get every single lap right. It is very important to be as consistent as possible.
And finally, what are your expectations for your performance here this weekend?We don’t know – I don’t want to create expectations and then fail to deliver on our promises. We need to be careful talking about performance because, in their own way, each one of the first races has been a surprise for us, and we have had different levels of competitiveness at each track. We will be doing our maximum, both me and the team, and we think a strong result may be possible. But let’s wait and see.
