After first driving the Renault F1 R25 on 19 October on a chilly, cramped junior circuit at Silverstone – and passing the test with flying colours – double world rally champion Carlos Sainz had the opportunity to really get to know Renault’s first world champion car a little better, during a special appearance as part of the World Series by Renault season finale at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya.

Nearly 80,000 spectators attended the three-day meeting, and the sight and sound of the R25 – just one week after Fernando Alonso and the Renault F1 Team clinched championship victory in Brazil – was made even more impressive by the fact another Spanish double world champion was at the wheel.

On Saturday morning, Carlos Sainz couldn’t wait to get out on track in the R25, which was running in maximum downforce Monaco configuration and he loved every minute of the experience.

“The acceleration, the braking, the grip, everything is amazing in this car. I have just been testing in Tunisia for the Dakar rally, so going from desert driving to a Formula 1 car is a pretty big change! They are totally different, light years apart. In Formula 1, you need to be a top athlete because the whole body is under duress,” explained the Spaniard as he got to grips with the car. “It is a unique experience, almost impossible to describe, and unlike anything I have felt before. I have been in a fighter plane, I have ridden a 500cc GP bike, but this is something else again. Renault has given me one of the best experiences of my life.”