Carlos Sainz claims he is now feeling “at home” in the Renault team three races after joining the French manufacturer from Toro Rosso, though acknowledges he is still facing a “steep learning curve”.
The highly-rated Spaniard made the move to the Enstone outfit at the United States Grand Prix last month and immediately impressed scoring a seventh-place finish on debut, but that remains his only points so far.
Sainz is also in quite a difficult position as Renault battles Toro Rosso, and, as a result, the company he is still associated with, for sixth in the Constructors’ Championship with one race to go, however, he is ready to step up and do the job with four points between them and one race left this weekend.
“I left Brazil with a positive mindset as I’m starting to feel at home in the car and we head to Abu Dhabi with confidence and an aim for points,” the 23-year-old began. “It’s going to be a tight fight in the championship for sixth, but we are ready for the challenge.
“There’s been a lot to learn but I think we’ve been able to face the challenge in a positive manner. It’s been an education for me to come to a manufacturer team, and there’s been a lot to do because of joining mid-season.
“I’m still on a steep learning curve with the car so I hope for another step forward in Abu Dhabi,” he added.
These four races have been something of a precursor to Sainz’s main challenge which will be to step up and help drive Renault back towards the front in 2018 and potentially prove himself worthy of a seat at Red Bull in 2019, but ending another stellar season on a high is important to the second generation racing driver.
“Of course, I want to qualify and finish in the top 10,” he said. “We’ve definitely had strong positives from every Grand Prix so far, and I want to continue that to finish the year with a smile on my face.”
