Moscow will require an intelligent approach to maximise efficiency, Nelson Piquet explained today in a drivers’ press conference. The championship leader also revealed that he may be more risk averse in a bid to protect his place at the top of the standings.

“Every weekend we try our best,” Piquet said. “We try to be prepared. We try to be in the best shape possible. I’m sure every team and driver does the same. When you’re coming to the end of the championship and you’re leading, maybe you’re in a better position. Maybe you don’t take as many risks. But we’ll continue to work as hard at every race.”

Berlin turned out to be a tough event for the team, with neither driver managing to master the circuit in qualifying. Piquet commented: “We’ve always been going to bumpy narrow tracks, street course tracks all of them. Last time was the first time we went to a different surface and a different type of track. We missed something there in quali. Partly my fault, partly the team, but we showed our pace in the race. We will learn from our mistakes.”

Piquet has been consistently quick in throughout the season, but he’s also managed to achieve a level of efficiency which has seen him often with more battery energy than those around him on track. Asked about his approach for Moscow, he said: “This track seems like a mix of the tracks we’ve been to so I think we’re back in our comfort zone. It’s a big track so I think strategy is going to play an important role. From our simulation work it seems like [energy conservation required] is not drastic here. You have to save a little bit; there’s up hills and down hills, and there’s a lot to be gained and lost in different places. It’s an interesting track. You’ll still have to be smart to be as efficient as possible.”