Carlos Sainz admits he doesn’t expect the scoring of strong results alongside Nico Hulkenberg to be “automatic” when he joins Renault from the United States Grand Prix next weekend.
The Spaniard was destined to join the French manufacturer on loan from the Red Bull stable from the start of next season, however, he will be able to get a head start with the Enstone outfit as Jolyon Palmer agreed to leave his seat four races early.
For the 23-year-old it marks the start of an important phase in his Formula 1 career as, after three years of impressive results with the Toro Rosso team, he will now be at a team which expects consistent points finishes and perhaps better as they look to move up the grid.
Certainly, top 10’s will be an immediate requirement as Renault, who had to rely on Hulkenberg for their points as Palmer faulted, look to move up from seventh in the Constructors’ standings but Sainz is being conservative in his expectations.
“He (Hulkenberg) has done 16 races with a car that I’ve never driven,” he said. “It will take me a while to adjust. Of course, my goal is to reach pace as soon as possible but it’s not automatic. You have to work hard for it. It is about analysing the data and learning how to drive that car.”
Instead, the second generation racing driver sees his upcoming appearances as more of a settling in period with the French manufacturer before the hard work starts next year.
“I would not have minded finishing the season with Toro Rosso but the early start can be very important,” he claimed. “It gives me an opportunity to get to know everything in the new team and to adapt the car to me.
“These four races will help me next year and if I can get a few points for the team, that would be great.”
Sainz does have the advantage of knowing the Renault power unit having used it throughout this season while both cars are also known for being strong on downforce.
Given how they equally matched they have been at stages too, it will be interesting to see just how much difference the highly-rated youngster finds once behind the wheel.
