Carlos Sainz is primed and ready to do the business at his home Grand Prix. The Renault driver is in Spain on the back of some positive momentum after his hard-fought fifth place in Baku.
What, in particular, makes the Spanish Grand Prix so special?
It’s the most special Grand Prix of the year for me and it feels so different to any other race. Wherever I go throughout the weekend, there’s always people cheering, it’s a real privilege to experience. It’s a busier weekend than normal, but I enjoy that, and I realise I’m very fortunate!
Are you looking forward to seeing your fans in the Carlos Sainz grandstand?
It’s awesome to have my own grandstand. We started back in 2016 and ever since fans have been so grateful and supportive so it’s totally worth it. We have nearly 4,000 fans this year, near turn five, and it’s going to be very special to drive past them on every lap. I can’t wait for it again this year and hopefully, I can put on a show for them.
And he’s not done yet! Lovely evening with our friends @BellRossWatches in Barcelona. Next stop? @Circuitcat_eng tomorrow morning! #RSspirit #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/jkJYc1P0vg
— Renault Sport F1 (@RenaultSportF1) May 9, 2018
Talk us through a lap of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya…
It’s three quite different sectors, each with some fast and flowing corners. The tarmac is new this year all around the track and this makes it even more interesting. Turn three is extremely quick in this year’s cars, and we hold it flat out while clinging on in sixth gear. Turn five is where my fans are and we then accelerate down the hill into my favourite part of the track. It’s a quick, uphill turn seven followed by another flat-out right-hander. Then it’s DRS down the straight and into the last part of the track. We need good traction throughout this sector as it’s very tight with no room for mistake. It’s about hogging the inside kerbs as much as possible to find the shortest route. Finally, we have to negotiate the chicane, where we want to maximise the kerbs, before accelerating flat-out from the corner to finish the lap.
Why do you think you go well in Spain?
It’s a track I know very well since I was young. Also, we get to do the tests here, both in winter and after the race, so every Formula 1 driver is very familiar with the track layout. I’ve raced in three Spanish Grands Prix so far. Each of them has been very special and I’ve managed to get some good results here. I think that shows all the support I receive works and it’s like having an extra boost. With all the fans giving support, we become very strong! I hope I’m able to keep it this way this season and continue the good trend of results at my home race.
What can you recommend to do and see in Barcelona?
Of course, I have to recommend to try as many traditional Spanish dishes as possible. The food is so good here! I seem to mention food in a lot of my race previews! More specifically, Barcelona is a very charismatic city. There are so many things to do. Visiting La Sagrada Familia or the Casa Batlló of Gaudí, shopping around La Rambla or just enjoying a drink by the seaside are some of the many things you can do here. It’s a fantastic city and I love it.
What’s the post-Baku feeling?
It is a really strong result for the team and myself, which we had to battle for. Now it’s time to look forward and put all of our efforts into backing it up with another positive result in Spain. I’m working really hard with the team to extract the maximum of the Renault R.S.18 and I’m confident we’ll get there step by step.
There’s nothing like your home GP to guarantee a busy week! Carlos is at the @SalondeGourmets today with @EG_00. And we’ve volunteered to quality check all the food. Every last bit. ?♀️#RSspirit #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/Ni6viCRQrb
— Renault Sport F1 (@RenaultSportF1) May 8, 2018
