Russia was certainly a different experience from Singapore and Japan! The Sochi circuit is a really impressive place to be: you are next to the sea and all around you are these futuristic buildings that were used for the Winter Olympics. It's all a bit like science fiction!

As for the race, it was definitely a lot more entertaining than the one we had last year. The surface is a bit unusual: very low grip, and that was a big factor that contributed to all the action on track: both good and bad. We were all very relieved to see that Carlos was OK after his shunt on Saturday morning, but it didn't come as a big surprise to me that he was back in the car for the race. As a racing driver, this is exactly your mentality: you don't get scared or put off by accidents, you just want to get back in the car as quickly as possible.

From my point of view, Russia was another really useful learning experience: it was fascinating to see how the team tackled the unique challenge of this circuit, both from an engineering and sporting point of view.

The weekend was a bit cooler than many people expected, and that was another factor, as quite a lot of performance is linked to track temperature, for any Formula One car.

I think it's been a long time since we've had a grand prix where teams have gone into qualifying with such a small amount of running in free practice, but if you come from a GP2 background, like me and some of the other drivers, that's not such a big deal: you get used to coping with a limited amount of practice and going straight into it.

Now I'm back home again and concentrating on my training. I'll update the blog again after the USA Grand Prix.

Fabio's Singapore and Japan report

It's been a busy couple of weeks at the Singapore and Japanese Grands Prix, and I learned a huge amount. I've been to both countries before, but never back-to-back!

Singapore was just as hot and humid as I remembered it: I think the GP2 race that I did there was one of the physically toughest races of my career. But the smog that everyone talked about before the race was really not too bad.

As a third driver, you try to be a bit like a human sponge: absorbing all the information that comes your way from the engineers, drivers and other team members. Everyday is a school day and there's always something to learn...

One of the things I learned in Singapore was how to be a catwalk model. OK, that's maybe an exaggeration but I got to take part in the Amber Lounge fashion parade, which was a lot of fun. I don't think I'm quite ready to switch jobs yet though. It was a really nice suit, but I still reckon I look better in a helmet and overalls.

From Singapore it was straight to Japan, which was pretty strange as you were into a new time zone, staying awake during the day as opposed to sleeping. Because Singapore is a night race, the evening became the morning and so on. A bit like being a student!

Japan was another great experience: Suzuka is an awesome circuit and it was a strong race from Manor. I flew straight back on the Sunday night, as my next job was to sort out my Russian visa for the grand prix at Sochi next week...

Budapest, Hungary

The Manor Marussia F1 Team is pleased to confirm that Fabio Leimer will take part in the opening Free Practice session of this weekend’s Formula One Pirelli Magyar Nagydíj 2015.

Fabio, 26, from Rothrist in Switzerland, joined the team as an Official Reserve Driver last month, ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix. In addition to working closely with the drivers and engineers at races, his participation in an FP1 session was a scheduled step in his 'induction', so that he is fully acquainted with the MR03B and able to deputise in the event that a race driver is unable to compete.

Fabio is a 2013 GP2 Series champion and winner of the 2011 GP2 Final. He is also a former Formula Master series champion, prior to which he competed in Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula BMW ADAC.

John Booth, Team Principal, commented: "Running Fabio in a Free Practice 1 session is a planned opportunity that we have all been working towards for some time. We have enjoyed welcoming him into the team over the past few races and it will be interesting to gain his feedback on the car and assess his performance."

Fabio Leimer said: "On this most difficult of weekends for the team, I am very appreciative of their decision to continue with my planned FP1 session. I'm looking forward to the opportunity and I hope I can make a positive contribution to the engineering programme for the weekend."