Revitalised and ready, the Russian tells us he is ready to return to the R31 at one of F1’s most demanding venues.
It’s the first Grand Prix back after the summer break – what are your expectations?
The Belgian Grand Prix is a big race. I hope our new upgrades will be working well and then we will see where we are in terms of performance, but I know Spa-Francorchamps very well. I had a strong race there last year. It’s one of the best and most challenging tracks you face as a driver because you have a number of different corners, ups and downs, and the weather can change at any given moment! One corner can be wet and on the other side of the track it could be dry. You never know what to expect in Spa, but I hope that we will be much more prepared and ready for this weekend. That is crucial in order to turn our season around, and I’m confident we can do just that.
How important is the mid-season break in allowing a driver to reflect on what’s happened?
I think it’s important for the team to have a break, as it allows time to understand why a team is performing how it is. In our case, it was important to know why our performance level had dropped, and I think we’ve done that. From my side of things, it was also a chance to recharge the batteries. After an intense first half of the season, I was quite tired but now after some time off I am ready to fight hard.
Looking back, how can you summarise the first half of the season, and what are your ambitions for what’s to come?
The first half of the season was not as successful as we had hoped; we clearly lost some performance on the car as we reached the European races. The team needed some time to understand why we had the problems, and I think we’ve established that now. Our eyes are firmly fixed on the future and the races that lie in our wake. As we near the end of the season, the endurance of everyone involved will play a bigger and bigger role, and hopefully we will be one of the best-prepared teams in that regard.
So far in 2011, you’ve scored more points than during the whole of last season – what has been the secret to this?
It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly why, but I believe we prepared well pre-season, and our strong start in Australia and Malaysia evidently helped. I’m hungrier than ever to get back to scoring points – it’s what I enjoy.
Spa-Francorchamps is a legendary circuit - are there any characteristics you particularly enjoy?
I don’t have a favourite corner. Of course it’s quite important to drive at Eau Rouge with full throttle. It is a famous and much-loved circuit, so it would mean a lot to get a good result there.