After that, we go straight to Imola. In June we had a filming day with the team there, and even if it was possible to do only a few laps, I enjoyed running around the track a lot. It’s an old-school track, one of those I really like, with gravel traps, high-speed and blind corners and elevation changes. It’s not going to be easy to set up the car properly for Qualifying and the race with only one Free practice, but it’s a nice challenge which makes the weekend very exciting. Actually, we have tested this format at the Nurburgring when both Friday sessions were cancelled, and I have to say we managed to do everything we needed and the race was a really good one. Hopefully, it will be the same in Imola where the temperatures might be quite cold like in Germany. Last but not least, it’s another home Grand Prix, the closest one to the team’s HQ – only around 20 km away. It’s a pity that, because of the Covid situation, people are not allowed in the paddock, otherwise it could have been a great opportunity for all the Scuderia AlphaTauri employees to visit the garage in organized slots and see live on site what they all work for. I’ll try to do all I can to deliver the best possible performance like always, good points in Imola would be a big thank you to them all.

Then it’s time for Imola. I am looking forward to the weekend a lot. It’s a very exciting track and we did just a few laps there before the season for a filming day. In any case, I knew it from before when I raced there in Formula Renault eight years ago. It’s a lovely old-fashioned track with cool corners and it’s great to see it back on the calendar. Hopefully, we can be competitive there. It’s yet another home race, the third in Italy and for me, there was also the Russian Grand Prix. I like having a lot of races in Italy because in the end, this country has such strong links to motorsport and it’s cool that we are going there. We also have to deal with just a Saturday and a Sunday weekend. That was meant to be something new, but we have actually tested the system and had a taste of it at the Nurburgring already! It means you have to work on a steeper learning curve and there is a risk of not finding the ideal setup with a lot less running. But it’s the same for everyone, we just need to be proactive and get it right straight away.