Carlos Sainz has set himself the goal of winning the Spanish Grand Prix as he looks to bounce back from a tough start to the year. After two podium finishes in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the Spaniard endured two difficult weekends in Australia and Imola, with both resulting in early retirements from the race. Sainz then suffered another crash during practice for the Miami Grand Prix, but recovered to achieve third place in Sunday's inaugural event.
Sainz looking forward to returning to Spain
The F1 calendar now returns to Europe, and Sainz is happy to be back at the familiar Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. "This is definitely a track that we know very well and I think all drivers enjoy it," he said in a Ferrari preview of the race. "The track layout offers a mix of high-, medium- and low-speed corners that makes it challenging to get the right balance of the car throughout an entire lap. I think Turns 3 and 9 are the most thrilling ones. "At Turn 3, a long high-speed right hander, we maintain a lot of G force from entry to exit, and Turn 9 is a great uphill high-speed corner that we expect to take flat out, at least in qualifying. "The track has a lot of character and I look forward to driving this new car here in race conditions."
How Sainz will fight for the "best result possible"
Sainz admits that the race does not differ in terms of his aim being to take his first victory in Formula 1, but he has been given an extra motivation this weekend thanks to this being his home event. "The goal, as in every other race weekend, is to extract the maximum out of our car and try to win the Grand Prix," he explained. "The fact that it's my home race makes it even more special because of all the fans and the support we get there, but in terms of goals, we need to always push and fight for the best result possible."
A special tradition awaits for Sainz
As well as having widespread support from local fans, Sainz is honoured to have his own grandstand at the Spanish Grand Prix. "After two years with little or no fans at the track, I'm very happy that this year the circuit is completely sold out," the Ferrari driver added. "Being able to have 'Grada CS55' again is also very important for me, as it has become a great tradition and it allows me to interact a bit closer with my fans. "However, I know we will receive massive support from every grandstand at the track and I can guarantee the fans maximum effort from myself and from the entire team, to give them plenty to cheer about! "Hopefully we can have a great racing weekend in Spain and everyone can enjoy the thrills of an F1 race!"
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