Nyck de Vries: 'No fundamental difference from car last year'

Is Nyck de Vries ready for it? "Absolutely. Last October, I actually knew I would get a seat. So the preparations were lengthy. I've looked forward to this moment for so long, actually my whole life, so I feel like I can't be more ready than I am now."

How it will feel when the lights go out? "You know, sitting in the car with the engine on, it won't feel much different from other races. I'll just have a different car. The biggest difference is the whole circus around it."

Midfield is close

The Dutchman does not know how good his car will be. "The test days went very well. we did a lot of laps, which allowed us to complete our programme. We learned a lot about our package. It's hard to say exactly where we stand because the midfield is close together, it will really come down to two tenths where you stand. So I will probably fluctuate a bit between positions every weekend."

AT-04 is an evolution

De Vries was able to test in the AT-03 at the end of last season. He sees the AT-04 as an evolution of that car. "My feeling is that there will not be a big difference between this year's car and last year's, because the rules have remained more or less the same." His teammate, Yuki Tsunoda did notice a significant difference. "Last year, we had a lack of downforce, especially at high speed, which caused the car to slide a lot and therefore we couldn't save tyres as well. Here we have really made strides."

Tsunoda is also positive about the Red Bull/Honda engine in his AT-04. "It made me happy that if I had something to say about the engine, it was already better the next run."

Tsunoda has clear goal in mind

The Japanese driver knows what he has to do this season. "My goal is to perform more consistently. There are a few changes from last season. For example, I have a new trainer and there are some new mechanics I didn't know yet. I feel good and as always I am going to give 100 per cent."