HUDDERSFIELD, ENGLAND - APRIL 14: Aaron Mooy of Huddersfield Town during the Sky Bet Championship match between Huddersfield Town and Preston North End at Galpharm Stadium on April 14, 2017 in Huddersfield, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Nico Hulkenberg's season has been a lot stronger than most expected, the German driver placing his Renault into the top ten in qualifying in every event so far. However he has only finished on the points in the last two events.

Now, as the teams head to Barcelona for the first round on European soil, Nico is armed with the new barge boards and an updated rear wing on his Renault and he is hoping that will make all the difference.

Despite having pounded in countless laps around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, venue to this weekend's race, the track hasn't been very kind to him in the past, with tenth place finishes in 2012 and 2014 the best in his back catalogue.

The time has now come to do better…

What's the mood headed to Spain?
I'm feeling good. The car is improving at every race and we can deliver. I spent two days at Enstone last week and even some occasional British rain wasn't an issue.

What do you think of the event?
Barcelona and the surrounding area is great. There's a great Spanish vibe, it's right by the sea with lots of good restaurants with nice food and paella. I always enjoy visiting there. There's always a decent turnout of fans, which means I have to leave for the track a little earlier in the morning to avoid the traffic, but it's great to see that enthusiasm.

What are your thoughts of the track when you're behind the wheel?
It's a track we all know really well after testing there so much so all the engineers have a lot of data and knowledge about it. I personally like the layout, especially the first sector with turns 1-2-3, which have added value thanks to the fastest cars this season. It's a physical circuit with all the high speed right handers so you need a strong neck; you'll really know about it by the end of the race.

What's notable over the 4.7km?
The first turns are almost like one corner as turns 1-2-3 seem linked as if you get 1-2 wrong you'll be in a bad place for turn 3 which is high speed and quite a challenge. Sector three is very technical, twisty and slow, especially through the last chicane, but it's the key to a quick lap time so you need to master it.