Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz are both excited by the prospect of racing in Barcelona, a city and a circuit atmosphere that they both enjoy.
The team will be looking to put more pressure on fifth-place Haas in the Constructors’ Championship having lost ground on them in Russia, moving five points behind the American team.
However, the performance of Kvyat will be a focal point of the weekend having swapped with Max Verstappen between the Red Bull teams, returning to race for Toro Rosso for the first time since the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“The Barcelona track is one I know well as I’ve tested there many times since I was a kid,” Kvyat said. “Turn 1 is a good spot for overtakes while Turn 3 is a long endless corner. I like Turn 9 as it’s the fastest corner here, I’d say it’s my favourite of this track.
“The last sector is quite twisty, slow and requires a lot of technique. I have to say that, even though we know this circuit inside out, it’s not an easy one as its very set-up dependent.
“You need to really be able to set-up your car in a nice way and get a good compromise between high and low speed, slow and fast sections as well as deciding how you want your car to be behaving regarding oversteer and understeer.
“So whoever manages to do this the best will have a good race, but it’s always a challenge. As a city I really like Barcelona. I lived nearby for half a year and I really like this part of the world and Spain in general.
“I also think that because I speak Spanish it helps and it means people can support and talk to me, which is always nice.”
For Sainz, like McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, this is his home Grand Prix, and he is looking forward to the atmosphere of it after a Russian Grand Prix which saw him complete a race outside of the points for the first time this season.
“What stands out for me during the whole weekend in Spain is the amazing crowd that we have there, as they never stop cheering for the Spanish drivers, it’s an incredible feeling,” Sainz said.
“My favourite memory from last year is driving down the main straight after my quali lap and seeing so many happy people celebrating my P5 with me. I have to say that I was smiling during the whole of that in-lap and it’s a moment I will never forget.
“I can’t wait for my home Grand Prix to get started!”
