We’ve just had a tight and twisting street circuit in Monaco and we’re now heading to a quite different temporary track in Montreal. Is a lap of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve as intense?
Yes, it’s quite intense but in a very different way. The straights are long but you have these big braking zones. It has a little bit of the feeling of street circuit because of the walls but it is more of a traditional, classic track. It has a unique feeling though and it’s a great place for racing. It’s great for drivers and the races are usually very exciting, so I’m looking forward to it.
What about the atmosphere in Montreal? It’s a city that really embraces F1.
Yeah, the atmosphere is always really good. It’s a great crowd and they seem to really know a lot about F1, which is great.
Is it a town you enjoy hanging out in?
From what I’ve seen it’s a good city, but to be honest I haven’t actually been out and about there very much. However, my trainer likes it very much, because of the hockey. He’s a former hockey player so he loves it there. We’ve visited the stadium and I’ve watched a few games on the TV because it’s often play-off season [the Stanley Cup] when we’re there, so he’s always watching it.
You’ve got a good hockey team, Salavat Yulaev Ufa, in your home city in Russia, don’t you?
Yeah, they’re good, but they’re facing difficult times now. But they’re my home team so I have to support them. I was never a really big fan of hockey but since meeting my trainer I’ve followed it a bit more and I do enjoy it, especially when Russia beats Finland!
