Fernando Alonso: "The emotions are still high after an amazing result in Monaco. But now we shift our focus to my home race here in Spain.

"I'm looking forward to seeing all of the Spanish and Aston Martin fans out in full force supporting our team. I hope to see lots of green in the grandstands over the weekend. So far, we have scored lots of third places, a second place in Monaco and the next one we need is the top step. To do this we have to maximise every part of our weekend and capitalise on any opportunities that may come our way. But I am not obsessed with this and we will enjoy every moment.

"We have a lot of experience of this circuit but it's always a good challenge. It'll be interesting to race again without a chicane at the end of the lap, and hopefully this creates more overtaking opportunities."

Lance Stroll: "It's great to be able to get back on track straight away at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya after a challenging weekend in Monaco. It's a track that we're all very familiar with, having spent plenty of time here testing over the years, and one that I enjoy driving. After a run of five street circuits, it will be interesting to go to a more traditional racing venue and this will be valuable as we continue to benchmark and develop the AMR23.

"With it being Fernando's home race, I'm sure there will be plenty of green in the grandstands which is always great to see."

Insight and Speed with Cognizant

Race interruptions are rare in Barcelona. In the hybrid era (since 2014) there have been just four Safety Car deployments, and just two Virtual Safety Car deployments since the system was introduced. As for retirements, there is an average of just three per race, which means plenty of caution-free running.

Overtaking is not easy, but there are opportunities given high tyre degradation, which means there should be pace differences between cars on different strategies. The long DRS zone on the main straight and the opening turns are where drivers will attempt to make their moves, or down the DRS straight on the run to Turn 10.

Expect a mix of strategies given high tyre degradation. Adding to the unknowns, teams aren't as familiar with the circuit given it's got a new layout in Sector Three, and the circuit didn't hold pre-season testing in 2023. There is also a new specification Pirelli slick tyre, planned for introduction at Silverstone, to test in Friday practice.