Carlos Sainz will no doubt savour the experience of racing in front of his home crowd alongside fellow countrymen Fernando Alonso and Roberto Mehri this weekend in Barcelona, and make the most of the extra boost he will enjoy.

"The Spanish Grand Prix will always be the highlight of the year and the most special race of the season for me. I will have family and friends around and obviously, my first Formula 1 race on home soil will be something I will never forget."

The Toro Rosso youngster will be in familiar territory for the very first time in his young F1 career following a good start to the season in the first four fly-away races. Racing on home turf provides many benefits but won't dispense Sainz from working hard to achieve another good result.

"Barcelona is a track that we know very well, as we completed two of the three pre-season tests there, even though the track temperature will be much higher so the car balance will change completely. It will be challenging to see how much of a change there is between winter testing and May, but I’m really looking forward to the weekend ahead and it would be really nice to achieve a good result in front of my home crowd."

Click here for a look at the revised McLaren-Honda MP4-30 livery

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

Recent Posts

Marko: ‘No chance at all’ for Red Bull in Las Vegas

Helmut Marko believes that Red Bull and Max Verstappen are unlikely to challenge for victory…

2 hours ago

GM revives bid to join F1 with accelerated talks for 2026 entry

Automotive giant General Motors is reportedly back in the game as a potential entrant in…

3 hours ago

Las Vegas GP: Thursday's action in pictures

The opening day of running at the Las Vegas GP was a smooth but chilly…

5 hours ago

Williams' headaches persist into Vegas practice

Williams is continuing to fight uphill battles this weekend in Las Vegas as a knock-on…

6 hours ago

Ferrari's Sainz 'not satisfied with where we are' in Vegas

It was a solid start to the Las Vegas weekend for Ferrari with Carlos Sainz…

7 hours ago

Norris labels McLaren long-run pace ‘shocking’ in chilly Vegas

Lando Norris didn’t hold back in his assessment of McLaren’s performance on the opening day…

8 hours ago