Racing in Madrid a ‘huge privilege’ says Boya as he previews upcoming weekend

Mari Boya admits a victory in Madrid would be special although he is playing down expectations of what could be possible this weekend.

The PREMA Racing driver has endured a tough season to this point with just three points finishes so far in the campaign.

But as he prepares to race at home for the second time this year – after Round 5 in Barcelona – Boya, who was around for the Formula 3 test in Madrid last month, is excited to get back into the car.

“To be honest, it's a huge privilege to have two rounds in my country,” he said. “It's making it super special for me.

“Also because my family and friends are coming to watch. I feel a lot of support from them and also from the fans. I'm really excited to be racing again in Spain.

“It's a super challenging track. Not super long, but in terms of corners, it has many corners where you can make a lot of difference.

“One of the trickiest things I think will be to close the lap because there are many corners so it’s difficult to get it right. Many combined braking zones, and kerbs that you need to use. So it's super challenging. It will be cool and challenging in qualifying especially.”

Boya’s P9 finish in Spa-Francorchamps Feature Race is his best result since Monaco, but there were signs of improvement for him and the team in Monza.

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The Spaniard narrowly missed out on a place in the top 10 in Qualifying and showed good pace in the races. He hopes it is a sign of what could be possible, especially as Madrid is a track where nobody has been before, meaning the drivers can make the difference.

“Maybe if you asked me this question last year, I would tell you yes,” said Boya on fighting at the front this weekend. “But I also know what it's like coming to a track with a new car and not being able to perform because of that. So tracks like this are super demanding.

“You also need the trust and the confidence from the car. Normally I really like street tracks and everything, but this year I discovered that I also suffer on them. I don't know to be honest what to expect.

“But I am focused on myself. I have done the best job I could, came to the F3 test, gone twice to the simulator to prepare. I'm pushing myself a lot to be as prepared as possible and learning all the time.

“So let's see, we will discover when we go on track what we have.”

When asked if he has allowed himself to dream of a potential victory in Madrid, Boya responded: “To be honest, I'm trying to have the expectations where I feel they need to be.

“But winning at home is something special, and when you had the taste before of it makes you want it even more because you know how special it is looking under the podium at all the family, friends and also together with the team.

“That you are working together is something really beautiful, and Barcelona that year is a race that I will never forget.”