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Spanish GP Media Day: Lewis and George ‘positive’ after Canada success

Buoyed by a positive weekend in Canada last time out, the Team’s attention now turns to Barcelona and the Spanish Grand Prix.

For Lewis and George it is another chance to test themselves and the improved W15 at the demanding Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

“We had some indications for Canada, being very similar corners around the whole circuit that we would be fast there,” said George at Thursday’s media day.

“I think this [Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya] is going to be a real test and we can be fast this weekend, that bodes really well for the season.”

Lewis added: “We’ve not been at a high-speed circuit yet, but I’m optimistic.”

For the Team, Barcelona comes off the back of the most successful weekend of the season so far in Montreal – pole and a podium for George, with Lewis in fourth as well as the fastest lap.

And while there are always thoughts of what might have been, for George his sole focus is on securing a victory for the Team.

“In 2022, I don’t think I was pushing myself as much as I am now and I didn’t make any mistakes really throughout the whole season,” he said.

“Now I’m really, really pushing myself because I want to get that victory for the Team.

“If I was fighting for a Championship, I probably wouldn’t be pushing myself or risking that much during these races but right now we’re not fighting for the Championship. We had half a chance of victory and I went above and beyond to achieve it and probably went too far.”

Spain: Everything You Need To Know

One of the areas of success for the Team this season has been pit stops, with overall pit lane time right at the top of the field, pushing the best teams on the grid each and every race, something Lewis was keen to highlight.

“They’ve [the pit crew] gone above and beyond to train more, to prepare more,” he said.

“You see the team doing exercises in the pit garage, lots and lots of stops back at the factory, even in their off time, the performance is really starting to show.

“I’m really, really proud of the team in the garage who have been doing a great job, particularly of recent, with our stops and I’m sure the team will continue to make more strides in a positive direction.”

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a track both drivers are very familiar with and have enjoyed success at – Lewis has joint-highest number of victories (six) alongside Michael Schumacher.

Last year saw both drivers on the podium and when asked whether the Team could see another favourable result this weekend, George was positive.

“I’m feeling really good, I’m in a good place with myself, the car, I think there’s no reason why we can’t be competitive again, but we need to wait and see where Red Bull fall out.”

He added: “We’re making really good steps forward at the moment, we think we’ve got more things to come in the future races but for this weekend we have to wait and see.”

The positives the Team are starting to see have come from the dedication and hard work of everyone trackside and at the Brackley and Brixworth factories.

And while the journey the Team has been on over the past few years has been tough at times, for Lewis he sees a united group, all pulling for each other to achieve the best results week in and week out.

“If you look over the years, we’ve always been a strong team, we’ve always worked really hard together.”

He added: “We’re all in the same boat, we’re all working hard together, we all want to finish on a high and I feel we owe that to our long-term relationship.”

'A Good Test of our Progress': Toto Previews Spain

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