[INTERVIEW]
Q: We’ve just left one of F1’s big boy tracks, Spa, and we’re headed for another – Monza.
Daniil Kvyat: Absolutely. Monza is my favourite track. Every corner just gives you the feeling that you are doing something special. Lesmo I and II, Ascari… every corner. Well, they unfortunately changed Parabolica a little bit. The changes there do make a difference. It isn’t quite the same experience anymore. You still have to push a lot and it still requires a lot of technique, but the problem is that even if you make a mistake you get forgiven. It’s not the same. But overall the track is still amazing. An important circuit for me in the past and I love it.
Q: Did you race there a lot when you were younger?
DK: Yeah, I won there a few times, in Renault 2.0 [Alps in 2012] and in GP3. In Renault I was on pole and won both races and in GP3 I was on pole, won the feature race and finished second in the sprint race. It’s a pretty cool feeling winning there.
Q: You lived in Italy for some time after you left Russia, does Monza feel a little bit like a ‘home’ event for you?
DK: Yeah, definitely. I lived in Italy for about eight years and I still live very close to Monza, in Lugano in Switzerland. It’s about half an hour drive. I will probably go to Monza on Thursday morning because it’s such a short drive away. But once the racing starts I wouldn’t risk it for the traffic. Anyway, I love Italy, I love being there and for me it’s like a second home.
Q: Will you have family and friends making the trip up from your old home, Rome?
DK: I’m not sure. I’m pretty focused on racing at the moment, but it would of course be nice. We’ll see how it goes.
