Bahrain is one of my favorite circuits, and its layout is really good. I also like the high ambient temperatures there. It feels like summer. There was no race last year, so we have to guess how the track conditions are. Maybe it will be very slippery in the beginning. We will be driving on the shorter version of the track, where I have never raced in a Formula One car. However, I drove many laps there in testing with Toyota, and I raced in GP2, so I know the track well. We obviously have to be prepared to make sure we keep everything very cool.

I have never raced in a Formula One car in Bahrain so far but, I have good memories linked to that circuit because I won a GP2 race there back in 2008. That was the one and only time I have raced there up to now. It is quite a stop-and-go circuit and I think rear tyre degradation can be quite high. Overall I feel that our team has a good momentum and we have to make sure we also keep it for the next race weekend.

The track is a sequence of long straights with low speed corners, so it’s very demanding on the brakes. Good traction is also crucial on this circuit. We didn’t use the maximum downforce level in the times when we raced without DRS. Having a good straight line speed can make a difference there. Another peculiarity is the tarmac. Although it’s smooth, it’s quite abrasive, especially on the rear tyres, because of this combination of high temperatures and the sand which is blown on the track. Pirelli will provide us with the soft and medium compounds. Normally the ambient temperatures are between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius, which means that we have to use maximum cooling. This also applies to the brakes, although in that case it’s because the drivers have to brake very hard. At the end of the day the most important factors are braking performance and traction.