Spa is so iconic. I think everyone knows why it’s a great place to race and one of the jewels in the Formula 1 crown. Nowadays, I actually get more of a thrill from racing there rather than in qualifying. We’ve done so many laps there in the high-downforce cars that a bit of that single-lap rush has gone. Eau Rouge is full throttle and in race trim with a big tank of fuel in someone’s slipstream, it becomes a real corner where you’re sliding on four wheels, which is pretty epic. There’s also Pouhon and Blanchimont, which are not that easy in race conditions. It’s a place where you can overtake, you can defend and it’s high-speed racing. It’s so intense and I really like it.

I made my debut in Formula 1 there, so Spa is full of nice memories. I would say it’s a unique track in the way you can develop as a driver. I remember being there in my first year in single-seaters and everything felt so big with those legendary corners. Then, the more you go through the junior categories you feel the difference year after year until you reach Formula 1. It felt like a good track to make my Formula 1 debut! Of course, qualifying third on the grid is one of my best memories in Formula 1 so far. It was at a crucial time when I needed to prove I deserved to be in Formula 1. To stand in the top three with Lewis [Hamilton] and Sebastian [Vettel] was something special.

Spa is a challenge because it’s a long track and it has a lot of wide-open throttle time. It certainly pushes the engine to the limit but, as always, it’s something we validate on the dyno. Probably the most challenging thing about Spa will be the weather! It’s very unpredictable. This year, it looks like it will be wet and quite cold. If it’s wet or dry, we’ll ensure the engine is working as expected and, in every corner at Spa, it correlates to what our drivers want. We’re heading to three power sensitive circuits during this triple header. Esteban will have new engine parts added to his car from Spa. It’s the same specification than his first engine, just brand new, as per the regulations on freezing engine spec development through to next season.