Daniil Kvyat will be a driver in a leading role at Sochi as the Russian gears up for his national Grand Prix.
While uncertainly persists around Red Bull Racing's future as it has yet to find an engine partner for 2016, with Ferrari the only viable remaining option, Kvyat remains untroubled and thoroughly focused on the job that awaits him in his home country.
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With racing in front of a home crowd comes an additional dose of pressure and attention but the young bull is energized and rearing to go.
"In a way it's true, sometimes you do get some strong attention but that's part of the game and what you have to take from it is that the attention comes from the fact that perhaps you have been doing something good, which is a positive."
" You have to understand that the fans are coming out to support you and that is something quite special – I'm happy to have the attention, it gives you a bit of a lift."
Kvyat endured a rather laborious start to the 2015 season but the Russian raised his game over the summer, putting in some impressive drives, notably in Hungary where he finished 2nd behind Sebastian Vettel.
As will be the case for most of his colleagues, Kvyat will be racing at Sochi for the second time on a track which passed Formula 1's litmus test with flying colors last year.
"I would describe it as a classic modern-style track," says Daniil. "But what's really important is that there is quite a lot of room for overtaking, which usually makes for good racing."
"I would characterise it as a very technical circuit. It probably doesn't really have a standout, balls-out corner, but it really does make you think a lot and it takes some time to work out the best way round it."
"Having said that, it's my home race and I enjoy it a lot. The atmosphere last year was fantastic, there were so many fans giving me support. It really feels awesome to be there."
