It’s been a long break from the car, so I’m really looking forward to racing again and to getting back to some more familiar circuits. The long haul races were all new tracks for me and while it’s good to have that challenge, the European circuits are all places I’ve raced at many times before. That kind of consistency is important at a time when we are able to start looking forward a little more and what we can do to develop during the remainder of the season.

A home race is always exciting, so to be racing in front of the Spanish fans in a Formula 1 car for the first time is something very special for me. It’s a circuit I know really well, of course, and I love the high-speed nature of the track. The crowd at the Circuit de Barcelona are also very passionate so the atmosphere is pretty electric. I hope we can have a strong race and continue our run of two-car finishes there for them.

It feels good to be heading to Barcelona for the start of the European rounds and the home from home that the trucks and motorhomes provide. The first few races enabled us to gather plenty of information and we have now started to roll this back into the development cycle. We will be running the first of those steps on the cars this weekend in the form of a small aerodynamic upgrade. There is still a great deal of work to do beyond that to try to raise our performance level, however given our starting point, we are pleased to be making steps forward in line with our clear plan. It will be a nice weekend for Roberto, who will be competing in Formula 1 in front of his home crowd for the first time, which I know will be a very special feeling for him.