This morning’s FP1 was all about learning the track and preparing for the rest of the weekend. We didn’t go out straight away as we waited for the track conditions to improve but once we were out it was not too bad; apart from a small energy management problem it was a useful session. Then in FP2 we completed plenty of laps and I felt comfortable, it was a good session. We fined-tuned the car a bit more to suit the track and my driving style and I think we did a decent job and gathered good information for the rest of the weekend. When I saw the layout of this new circuit I thought most of the corners were going to be slow ones but, to be honest, now that I’ve driven it I can say that it’s better than I expected – these 90° corners are actually medium-speed corners and that makes it quite good, it’s a fun track to drive and I look forward to driving here the rest of the weekend. Overall it’s been a good day out on track, but of course we’re not forgetting about Jules, all our thoughts and prayers continue to be with him, his family and Marussia.

Missing FP1 wasn’t the ideal way to start the weekend here in Sochi, as this is a new track and it’s always best to get as much mileage as possible, but I think it was a smooth start for me and we were able to gather plenty of valuable data that we will analyse tonight. It was also good to finally drive here; the Sochi Autodrom layout is interesting, I like it. It has some high-speed sections and it’s quite flat, I enjoy driving here.

It was a positive morning and I enjoyed driving here in Sochi for the first time. We were late out as we waited for the track conditions to improve. My first run was okay, we used it to check the track out and understand the behaviour of the car - I have to say that I felt comfortable from the very start. We made some adjustments before our second run and they certainly improved the car for our second run. We can be happy, our final result is very positive. I’m feeling more comfortable in the car each time and I’m satisfied with my third practice session with the team.