What is Yas Marina like to drive? The circuit itself is quite amazing and the facilities are really impressive. It’s a long lap with a weird rhythm so it’s key to get comfortable with the change of flow. The corners are a lot different to each other so it’s vital to find a good balance, get accustomed to the conditions and master it. Abu Dhabi is a really fun place for a season finale. I’ve finished in the top seven three times in the last three years so I’m looking forward to it and ready to fight for some points. How do you reflect on Brazil? It’s certainly positive to pick up one point after such a frustrating run in recent months. In terms of pace, we weren’t as strong as we would like to be but we did the best we could. The Constructors’ Championship will go down to the wire for sixth in Abu Dhabi and I’m really relishing the challenge. The track should suit us better than Interlagos. It’s the season finale, there’s plenty at stake and that makes me very excited. What’s been the story of your season? This year has been about progress and development. I’ve got to know a new team, and one that has been developing strongly over the course of the year. We’ve made progress with the car and our performance. Of course, we’ve wanted more in terms of results, but I think we have put many things in place behind the scenes, which will enable us to fight for better positions in the future, and that’s always been the aim. What’s your aim for the final Grand Prix of the season? I head to Abu Dhabi hoping to score well. I want to kick back on Sunday night at Yas Marina with the team and celebrate a job well done.

What do you think of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix? I enjoy that this race is at night, I’ve done well under the lights this year so it would be nice to repeat that form. The atmosphere is always good in Abu Dhabi as it’s the last race of the year which makes it quite a special event. The facilities are incredible there and it’s pretty cool to start the race in sunlight and finish at night time, I like that! What are your thoughts after Brazil? I left Brazil with a positive mindset as I’m starting to feel at home in the car and we head to Abu Dhabi with confidence and an aim for points. It’s going to be a tight fight in the championship for sixth, but we are ready for the challenge. How do you look back on your first three races with the team? There’s been a lot to learn but I think we’ve been able to face the challenge in a positive manner. It’s been an education for me to come to a manufacturer team, and there’s been a lot to do because of joining mid-season. I’m still on a steep learning curve with the car so I hope for another step forward in Abu Dhabi. What are your goals for the final race? Of course, I want to qualify and finish in the top ten. We’ve definitely had strong positives from every Grand Prix so far and I want to continue that to finish the year with a smile on my face.

How do you reflect on Brazil? It was a big disappointment as we wanted both cars in the points, higher up than the tenth and eleventh we achieved. This result was frustrating as both cars qualified in the top ten. One car crossed the finish line in the points, showing that the potential is there. Carlos had a first lap incident where he sustained a decent chunk of aerodynamic damage to his floor. This cost him performance in the race, where he had a trickier run than Nico to keep pace. We had a particular emphasis on reliability in Brazil as we wanted to be sure both cars finished, and this did have an impact on performance. What is the approach for the final round? We will look at the balance of risk and reward with the aim of maximising our chances of overhauling Toro Rosso for sixth in the Championship. We’ll fight for every point. What’s the verdict from testing 2018 parts in Brazil? Nico’s Power Unit had elements relevant to 2018 and we also assessed chassis concepts. From an evaluation point of view, we completed all the tests we wanted on Friday with some positive answers and feedback. We’ve made strong progress in this area. What have been the key areas of progress for the team over the season to date? The performance of the car and our ability to extract it has improved a lot over the season. What we’ve failed to do is take that performance and convert it into points on a Sunday afternoon. There is no doubt how quick the car is and there has been a clear upward trend throughout the season on our improvements. Our understanding of what we need to do to make the car better has developed a lot and that will continue into next year. What’s the progression been like at Enstone? We have recruited more people who have the necessary understanding as well as an increase in the number of younger personnel, who are learning the trade. There is momentum building in all areas and that has led to the progressive improvement in performance. We want to carry that on into winter and through into next year. I get a great sense that the momentum in this team is building for the longer term and that’s what we’re interested in. Clinching sixth in the Constructors’ is important as this team wants to show progress en route to being successful and winning championships. It’s important to feel and build on this momentum. Are you happy with what you’ve seen from the Nico-Carlos pairing? Both are highly adept at giving us a clear direction to follow for the fundamental development path with the R.S.17. They see the same problems from slightly different angles, which is insightful. Carlos has settled in very quickly and works with his engineers very well. He’s been immediately on the pace. He’s a great team player and works well with Nico, they are both very mature. It’s key that they remain level-headed and keep progressing together. They are both clearly talented and very quick.

We go to Abu Dhabi aiming to finish this rollercoaster season on a high. This race is almost a championship in itself as we are in a tight battle with Toro Rosso and Haas, and everything is still to play for. Either one of us could finish between sixth and eighth position so we are being very careful with our preparations. We will have to combine an approach that is at the same time attacking, as we need five points more than Toro Rosso to get sixth, but also conservative as we are just two points ahead of Haas. We can be positive about our prospects. Abu Dhabi will be the fourth race Nico and Carlos have worked together and we have had two double Q3 performances. They work well together and push each other in the right direction, allowing us to point our development accurately and accelerate elements that add performance to the car. Whatever the result this weekend, we already have the confidence of a strong driver line-up next season. Despite the importance of the weekend, we will have a lot of VIPs from Renault and our partners at this fantastic track.