Valencia is another street circuit, one that is different to Monaco but which is still very special in its own way in my view. It’s been a great track for me; I think I’m still the lap record holder and it would be nice if it could stay that way a bit longer. Canada was not the best weekend for us and we have to start to get on top of things and have a better weekend. This is normally a very hot race so it’s a tough one for the drivers, but we should all have the fitness level to cope with that aspect of the challenge. I’m looking forward to the weekend ahead and hopeful of a better outcome.

The Valencia Street Circuit is a track I have performed well at in GP2 and last year I achieved pole position there. I am optimistic that this will give me a good headstart this weekend, despite this being my first time round in an F1 car, so I should be able to spend less time learning the track and more time focusing on fine-tuning the car balance. I like the track; it’s very interesting and challenging, and although it’s another street circuit, they have all been very different in terms of the characteristics, which has been quite fun. I feel that we’ve had a bit of bad luck in recent races, but I am hoping that Canada marked a turning point and we can look forward to some improved results from here.

It’s good to be back in Europe and to be embarking on the next batch of important races. Two of these are ‘home’ Grands Prix - Silverstone for the team and Hockenheim for Timo - and generally we are working hard to improve our performance level before the official summer break creates a natural hiatus for all of the teams. We took a step back in Canada, where our low downforce package was not working well for us. Having spent a great deal of time poring over the data from Montreal, we are hopeful that we can regain some of that ground in Valencia this weekend, starting with an improvement in our qualifying performance in respect to our race pace, in order to improve our prospects on race day. This is by no means a straightforward race. The combination of the requirement for good braking stability and traction, coupled with the higher temperatures we typically experience and the significant level of track evolution over the course of the weekend all present an interesting but tough challenge. Both drivers have performed well in Valencia in the past and seem to have the measure of the track, so we hope they will be able to reap some of the benefits of that experience this weekend.