He made a name for himself as the youngest driver to race in F1 last season; he’s also second behind Vettel as the youngest ever to score a championship point but apart from the records attached to his age, Jaime Alguersuari has the potential to carve a niche for himself in the fast lane. He is hungry, young and holds nothing back as he voices his dream to become a World Champion some day. This honesty and single-minded resolve comes through fairly explicitly in this EXCLUSIVE interview with F1PULSE.com...

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Q: It has already been an eventful season for you, you’ve finished every single race, you’ve scored your first points and you’ve even had some exciting racing battles... You are enjoying yourself this season, aren’t you?
A: Yeah, the season is going great! Better than we expected. There are still a lot of races to go but for the moment I think we need to be quite happy about the achievements and the experience we’ve got. But nonetheless we still have to work hard as it is a long season ahead.

Q: The Jaime Alguersuari of 2010 is more mature and he’s getting quicker and more competitive. What has changed from last year to now?
A: I have spent more time in the car, my physical condition is much better and I’m much more experienced now. So, that’s the story! My confidence level is going higher, my knowledge of the car and with the tracks is getting much better. I’m still not a 100% but I’m getting there!

Q: Overall in terms of performance and results you are doing better than your teammate at the moment even though Sebastien is the senior driver. Does that give you a big confidence boost?
A: Obviously, it’s pretty good to be ahead (of him) in the championship and to beat your teammate. But I know that Sebastien is a great driver, he has more experience than me and he has done a bit more than me in qualifying so far. But I’m getting there and I’m learning to get the best out of the tyres and out of the car just for one lap in qualifying (which is very different from the race simulation).

I think we have to be happy for the position that we are in. We are good teammates and he is showing us the pace and the speed to get in qualifying and the race. It is great to have two young drivers as teammates and there is a lot to learn from him as well.

Q: One of your special moments this season was when you held off Michael Schumacher in Australia for 20-odd laps. Were you nervous when you were going wheel-to-wheel with that man that you grew up admiring?
A: Well, on the track when you are fighting for points, you are just thinking about fighting for position as best as you can. You don’t really see that you have Michael at the back, you just see that you have a silver car with a red helmet behind! Then when you finish the race and you realise it was Michael and then think what an amazing race it was because you actually battled Michael!

Q: This weekend you are racing for the first time on your home track in an F1 race, you must be confident ahead of this one?
A: Yeah, I am! Every time I race in Barcelona, it is a special feeling for me. Because I have so many people following me here, all the supporters and fans pushing me... It is incredible to come here to my hometown and to feel this environment and the atmosphere is just great! This is my first F1 race here and it is the first track in Europe I know. So, I am really looking forward to it!

Q: Is the whether a bit of a worry about the weather in Barcelona? It has been raining a bit over the past few days; how will the conditions affect the race?
A: Well, actually I wouldn’t be happy if we had a wet race because we had so many this year and all those conditions were a bit tricky. You never know what to do with the strategy for a wet race. So we’d prefer to have a dry track.

Q: What is the most important lesson that you have learnt in F1?
A: In F1 we learn a lot of things but the one thing that you learn from the time you are a young kid in karting, right up to F1, is that it is just an individual sport. Everyone is looking out for himself and you just need to think about yourself too, no matter who the others are. I’m starting to make my inroads in F1 and my aim is to be World Champion; the aim is quite tough so I need to work very hard but you need to believe and you need to dream. Dreaming is the best thing because you need to think about and believe things that you want to achieve. If you don’t believe it, you are not going to make it. So, I’ve learnt to work my way up, that’s the big lesson I’ve learnt in F1.

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