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Talking about focus, how much dedication does it take to succeed in the world of motorsport, especially with F1 in mind?
"It’s no secret that this is a really hard environment. For any athlete competing at the top level, there's a lot of pressure.
"You know well that there might not be a second chance passing by. The pressure is always there but, at the same time, you have got to take a step back and enjoy doing all the things that led to this.
"I’m in F1 to deliver but, while doing that, I also try to relieve a bif ot the pressure and move foward race by race."
In 2018, your good results in F2 (third overall with four wins) put you back on F1’s radar after some ups and downs in your career. How did last season change you as a driver and as an individual?
"I think I’m still pretty much the same driver, it’s just the circumstances that were different at different stages of my career, for instance in 2017 [10th in GP3 after a difficult season, ed.] or in 2012 [dropped by the Red Bull Junior Program, ed.].
"I wouldn't say that my driving has become specifically better but, mentally, I’ve improved a lot and I’m more confident in myself.
"There were lots of lessons learned in 2017 and they made me a lot stronger and motivated."
Something unusual in your case is that you had never driven an F1 car before the pre-season testing in Barcelona. But still, you seemed to have found your pace pretty quickly since your first day or running?
"Yes. I remember the first time I got in the car, I felt impressed but not lost or anything.
"I said straight to myself 'Ok I can deal with this'. It feels like you’re driving and there’s always more to extract from the car.
"In the first couple of runs, you start to feel strong and then discover the possibilities. The times are getting faster but still with some margin.
"In my honest belief, I was a little surprised in the beginning by how the car was… not "easy" to drive but easy to get within one second. But it becomes harder when you try to find that extra pace that pushes beyond the limit to a point where you’re the most focused."
