After an early escape from the Mexican Grand Prix ten days ago, Renault driver Nico Hรผlkenberg is looking forward to returning to the scene of his incredible rookie season pole position.
This was his only Formula One pole position and as such the Interlagos circuit will always be special to himโฆ
What do you make of the Brazilian Grand Prix?
It's very special for me and one of my favourite places and races on the calendar. Sรฃo Paulo is a crazy city and there's something I really like about it. The food, the people, it's all really engaging and a highly unique experience.
How do you rate the track?
The track itself has so much history especially when you cast your mind to all the stories and championships won there. You can feel the history and the emotions that belong to racing and I really like that. It's a reason why I usually perform quite well there. The circuit is short and can be quite tricky to get right. It's anti-clockwise, very bumpy and extremely tough on the neck! It's all about confidence, especially the in-field middle sector.
Why do you think you go well in Brazil?
I have special memories around Interlagos! My only F1 pole position to date came in my rookie season, which was awesome. I put a perfect lap together at the right time in changing conditions and poled it by over a second; that's a real standout moment in my entire racing career. In 2012, I led for a large part of the race and was unlucky not to get a podium. I have a decent record there and I will be pushing to make sure I continue that.
How do you reflect on Mexico?
Mexico was a good weekend, sadly without a happy ending! We qualified well, and I got a good start in the race to be running in fourth position. Sadly, that wasn't to last and it was an early bath for me. We missed out on some points, which is always disappointing, but we'll start over again.
