Just how impressive was the Team’s repair job on your car in last weekend’s Belgian GP?

My Team did an incredible repair job in Spa so now I just want to repay them with a result this weekend. What they did was so impressive, it just shows how hungry everyone is at Red Bull Racing Honda. The teamwork and the way everyone jumped on the car without giving up on a chance of repairing it in time made me extremely proud and it was amazing to witness it in the garage.

How do you prepare mentally and physically for a possible re-start when the race is red flagged and your car may or may not get repaired in time?

For sure it’s tough to stay focused during the red flag period, especially when your car is in a million pieces. It is quite challenging, and then it’s not certain if the race will even happen so it’s really important to stay in the zone. You just have to be prepared at all times because you never know what can happen, this is the key. Max did a really good job in qualifying on Saturday and it was great that he was able to score some valuable points and close the deficit to Mercedes.

It’s been over a month since you actually ‘raced’ so what are your thoughts going into Zandvoort this weekend?

Yeah it’s been a while since I took part in a race [laughs] so I am looking forward to when the lights go out this Sunday, that’s for sure. I really hope that Zandvoort is the race that brings us back to the podium and we are pushing hard as a Team to make sure that happens.

Have you driven the circuit before in junior categories or on the simulator and if so what do you make of it?

I’ve only driven the track on the simulator but my initial thoughts are positive and so I’m really looking forward to experiencing the real thing now. I think this kind of track layout in a Formula One car is going to be a pretty good challenge and I just hope we can all have a great race and put on a show for the fans.

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