Spanish GP – Piquet learned from the first 3 races…

Piquet arrives for the first time with the status of a race driver on this Catalonia circuit to compete in a race. He knows the track well, having conducted numerous tests on it. It’s an opportunity for him to shine and move forward after three laborious races.

He is therefore aiming for Q3 in qualifying just like his teammate Fernando Alonso, thanks to a new aerodynamic package. We will closely follow the Brazilian to see if he has truly learned from his first three races…

Nelson, you have competed in three races in the premier category. What assessment do you make of your start to the season?

« The start of the season was, of course, very difficult, especially in Australia because everything was new to me and I had so much to learn. But as the races went on, things became simpler. I learned a lot over these first three races, and I believe I gained a lot of experience in how to approach a Grand Prix and in working with the team to optimize the performance of my car. I have a good relationship with Fernando and I try to make the most of his experience to improve. »

What do you now need to continue progressing?

« Every race is an opportunity for me to learn something new, little things like how to fine-tune the car’s setup and how to make the best use of the tires. Everything moves very quickly during Grand Prix weekends and you have to improve in each session to approach qualifying in the best conditions. In Australia, we didn’t manage to do that, but in Malaysia and Bahrain, things have already gone better. This should continue as the season progresses… »

What can you tell us about the Circuit de Catalunya? Is it a circuit that you enjoy?

« It’s not my favorite circuit, but I know it very well because I’ve raced there a lot this winter, so there shouldn’t be any big surprises at this level this weekend. It’s not a particularly demanding circuit, but you must have a good aerodynamic package because there are many medium-speed corners. It’s difficult to follow other cars, so it will be important to have a good qualifying session to avoid getting stuck in traffic at the beginning of the race and thus make the most of our strategy. »

The team has developed a new package for this Spanish Grand Prix. What will be your goal for this first European Grand Prix?

« I believe that with the latest developments we will have for Barcelona, we should be able to make a real step forward. We had positive tests here last week, and we still have several avenues of progress planned. It must be remembered that any development on a car must be understood, developed, and above all, optimized. This process takes time, and we shouldn’t expect a turnaround overnight. But we can be optimistic, and I believe that aiming for Q3 in qualifying with both our cars and then points in the race should be our goal this weekend. »

According to the Renault F1 Team