RB’s Japanese racer on his love of saunas, good coffee and – well, food, of course
Fashion
I like fashion. I like to choose my outfit according to my mood or where I’m going. And I like to show my colours, if you like. In short, it feels good to look good.
Food
There’s no particular cuisine I like, but for me a good meal is a kind of tool to reduce stress and feel happier. It doesn’t matter what kind of food it is – if it’s good, I enjoy it, whether it’s tacos or sushi. I really like pasta. When I’m in Italy that’s what I usually eat. But it’s important for me, wherever we go, to find a good restaurant so I can enjoy the food. Because in a way, as strange as it may sound, it gives me the same feeling as driving a Formula 1 car. When I drive, I just concentrate on that. It’s not that I don’t think – of course I do, especially during the race – but when it comes to driving, it’s more about the senses than thoughts. When I’m driving I don’t think about anything else. And it’s almost the same with food. You just enjoy taste and flavour – and I really like that!
Nature
We travel a lot and are surrounded by electronics and computers. Laptops, telemetry, data is our world – and sometimes it’s just too much. So I like to get away from it all, to go hiking, for example, or just get out into nature and experience a different environment to Formula 1.
Jason Statham
Definitely my favourite actor, especially after meeting him in Abu Dhabi last year. I’ve always liked his films and Transporter is my favourite – but sometimes when you meet your hero and get to know the person better, you can be disappointed, can’t you? It wasn’t like that with Jason. He is such a great guy, really nice, talkative, very respectful and really, really strong! He’s got everything you need. He’s strong, he looks cool, he’s bald. I might go bald in the future to look more like him…
Singing
I’m not the one who sings in the shower, but I do sing in the car. I just like it, to feel the rhythm, to have fun. And when I’m singing, I feel like a real singer!
Saunas
It’s something I like to use to reset. 20 minutes in the sauna, then a cold shower and lying down – at that moment I feel like I’m in space. And it is an incredible feeling. It feels like your body is resetting itself. It feels like all the stress
