Nelson Piquet: « Stay focused… »

The Grand Prix pass by and there is no improvement to note from Renault’s second driver, Nelson Piquet. The Brazilian driver even seems to have an axe hanging over his head. Indeed, he must imperatively improve his performance if he wishes to keep his place within the French team.

The Canadian race comes two weeks after the Monaco Grand Prix where, once again, Piquet couldn’t see the checkered flag at the end of the race. An opportunity to remedy this situation in Montreal.

You have now completed a third of your first season in Formula 1. You had a challenging weekend in Monaco. How do you feel?

« Monaco is without a doubt the most challenging track of the year. We had issues in qualifying, but everything went relatively well at the start of the race, so I’m trying to focus on these positive aspects. Montreal should theoretically be an easier circuit, and I’m confident; I hope to have a solid race there. »

Montreal requires low aerodynamic downforce. This will be the first time we see the R28 in this configuration. How do you think it will perform?

« It’s hard to say, to be honest. I just hope she reacts well and that our car performs well in Canada throughout the weekend. The team has made a lot of progress since the beginning of the season, we had new elements in Barcelona, and we are now trying to maintain this trend and always learn as much as possible about the car and its behavior to keep moving forward. We will need to start Friday’s practice with a good baseline setup, which will already be a good start for me. »

You prepared for Canada during a testing session at Paul Ricard two weeks ago. What will be the areas you need to focus on upon your arrival in Montreal to set up your car?

« It rained when we had planned to work for Montreal and we finally couldn’t film as much as we would have liked. We essentially did a few start simulations. I don’t know my testing schedule for Friday yet, but I will try to make good progress and help my engineers as much as possible to approach this weekend in the best possible way and especially to maximize my time on track. My priority will be to quickly learn this circuit that I don’t know. »

Exactly, you’ve never raced in Canada. Have you specifically prepared for this event?

« No, nothing specific. I tried to approach this race calmly, with focus, as I did for every race to be honest. My goal will be to learn the track quickly and feel comfortable in the car. Then I will need to make the most of each session to optimize the setup of my single-seater and thus hope for a good qualification. »

According to a Renault F1 statement