Mikhail, Magny-Cours must still be etched in your memory with your first outing in a F1?

In fact it wasn’t my first F1 outing. I had already driven a Red Bull F1 in 2008, but it was during a city exhibition. At Magny-Cours, however, I discovered for the first time what it was like to drive an F1 on a circuit, and I also felt the power and the incredible grip of an F1. This exhibition enabled me to absorb the whole car environment. Just for the steering wheel alone, I had to read the instruction guide and had a specific briefing.

Wasn’t it too complicated to go from one single seater to the other?

It wasn’t easy, but today I have quite a bit of experience in different single seaters. I can adapt quite quickly from one car to another. So that didn’t cause me too many problems. Above all, my attention was focused on my Formula Renault 3.5 Series weekend, with the F1 really just a bonus. And it worked, because I won the race and earned some good points towards the championship.

What would you compare an F1 to?

I have driven in many different single seaters in my career and honestly, nothing compares to an F1. I think that the grip around fast bends and the braking power are the two most impressive aspects. I know I stayed far away from the limits of the car, I need to drive more, in order to gain a full understanding of how an F1 works, but this experience gave me the chance to get pretty comfortable aboard this race car. It confirms me in my desire to get into F1. It motivates me even more to win the Formula Renault 3.5 Series so that I could get to do a real test with Renault F1 Team.

To come back to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. After nine races, you’re the championship leader 9 points ahead of your nearest rival. The season seems to be going pretty well?

The season has actually got off to a very good start. I didn’t do too well in some of the races and I suffered a bit at Brno, but in general I have shown my potential and the potential of the Carlin team. I am really satisfied with the way the team works. Everyone is extremely focused on winning, this really helps the drivers to race in good conditions.

You have raced in several categories and this year you are back in Formula Renault 3.5 Series. Do you think it's a good series for moving up to F1?

Robert Kubica, Sebastian Vettel, Jaime Alguersuari… they have all proved that it is possible to go directly from the FR 3.5 Series to F1. For this reason it is very important for me to succeed this season and to show what I am capable of.