REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SEMARANG -- Indonesian Formula One driver Rio Haryanto is gaining confidence in the run up to the fifth race of the 2016 F1 season to be held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain, on May 13-15, 2016.
"He is more optimistic than he was in the earlier races," Haryanto's mother, Indah Pennywati, stated here during a telephone conversation on Thursday.
Haryanto is familiar with the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which was formerly known as the Circuit de Catalunya, as he had raced four times on the 4.655-kilommeter-long circuit during his GT2 career.
In 2012, he competed for the Carlin GP2 team from the United Kingdom before joining the Addax Barwa team from Spain in 2013.
Haryanto had raced for the Caterham team in 2014 and the Campos Racing team in the following year.
Haryanto, in a written statement received on Thursday, admitted that the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is one of his favorite tracks.
"It is a track that I know really well, so we should be up to speed quite quickly and be able to get a good impression of how our package is working here," Haryanto stated.
The Manor Racing team driver is happy with how the season has progressed so far, despite having retired in two of the initial four races though neither due to any fault of his.
"I feel quite happy with the way I am learning and developing my skills with each new race, particularly in terms of my pace," Haryanto affirmed.
With long straights and a variety of corners, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is viewed as an all-rounder circuit.
Formula One teams are no strangers to the circuit as not only have they raced there every year since 1991 but have also conducted extensive testing at the venue.
Barcelona's mix of high- and low-speed corners in addition to its abrasive and rather bumpy track surface, all add up to a physically and mechanically taxing race.
"My trainer is Spanish, so he knows all the best places, and I know the area just like the back of my hand now," Haryanto added.
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