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This article first appeared in GP Racing magazine.
Where are all these people coming from? Renault's hospitality has been flat-out through lunchtime, and as one of the crew guides F1 Racing to our appointed table, her face contorts into a rictus of disapproval as she clocks the stains left on the tablecloth by previous guests. Evidence of their offending splatter is promptly whisked away, thrust into a bag, and replaced with a spotlessly clean equivalent.
Such is the world of F1 testing in the Liberty era. Pre-season at Barcelona, in the spring sunshine, the paddock is bustling with paying guests on hospitality tickets. It's a microcosm of a grand prix weekend, and with more track time available and consequently less pressure, teams can offer a more accessible guest experience. Hence the hubbub in the Renault motorhome - in a corner Sauber boss Frederic Vasseur is chewing the fat with his ex-boss, Cyril Abiteboul - and the throng of fans through which our interview subject is currently picking his way.
Carlos Sainz bursts through the door, slightly flushed and apologetic: "Sorry - I had to run here!" Unusually for a 'You Ask The Questions', he has an entourage: as well as the PR minder, our audience includes Sainz's physio, Rupert Manwaring, and his manager, Carlos Onoro, who's having a sneak preview of your questions. "They're all about food, mate," he cackles. "They've got your number..."
