FORMULA 1

PASTOR MALDONADO WITH HIS MEXICAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

With three consecutive points finishes, Pastor Maldonado looks to wrestle some more from the grasp of his rivals as Formula 1 returns to Mexico.

How are you looking forward to the Mexican Grand Prix?

I think it’s going to be one of the most special races of the year. There’s certainly a lot of expectation and lots of great fans in Mexico. It’s a Latin American race so I think I’m going to enjoy it a lot. I think we’re all going to get a fantastic welcome and a lot of support. It’s a great country with great people. I love Mexico so I’m looking forward to it.

Do you expect to get a lot of local support?

It’s certainly very close to my home and

the Spanish language is used so I’m looking forward to meeting fans old and new. It’s a big city so there’s a lot of potential for many people tosupport the event and I’m sure they will.

What do you think of the circuit?

I’ve never been there so it will be a new experience for me. It’s always difficult to make a call on a track until you’ve driven it in the car. The layout looks good with some interesting corners with some low speed and also medium and quicker stuff, then a very long main straight which makes up a big percentage of the lap. We’re certainly going to get some high speeds along there! It’ll be interesting to explore our potential.

Did you have a particular approach because of the altitude?

There’s nothing particular other than your general conditioning and training. It’s the highest race of the year so the air will be a bit different but you adapt pretty quickly.

How was your United States Grand Prix?

It was an eventful one. The waiting for the sessions was something we see sometimes and you have to try to get some track time. To be honest the race itself wasn’t the most enjoyable as the car was quite a handful in the conditions we had and you never knew what to expect. I was struggling with the brake balance which made it tough to push hard. We also seemed to grain the wet tyres more than expected so that had to be managed. It was good to get the points, but we didn’t score them in the best way possible because you always want to be pushing hard all the way.

There’s a forecast of rain when we get to Mexico…

The weather will be the same for everyone and we showed we can have a good result when there’s lot of action going on elsewhere. It’s a different track and a new one for everyone so we’ll have to see how our car likes in then deal with the weather as we find it.

What are your thoughts on Jolyon now he’s been announced as your team-mate for 2016?

He’s a nice guy and he’s good to work with so I feel positive about next season. We’ve been working closely together in FP1 sessions this year so that gives me a good idea about working with him. He’s an intelligent guy so I’m sure he’ll do a good job.

Are you a fan of Mexican food?

I love tacos so I’ll be having a few there, but not too many, at least not before the race or qualifying! I like Mexican food, especially when it’s hot and spicy; although maybe not Mexican hot and spicy!

Trick or Treat?

I’m hoping the race will be a treat for us.

Will you celebrate with a tequila if it’s a good result?

Yes, but it has to be a proper good result!