Carlos Sainz admits he is surprised by how competitive he has been after leaving Toro Rosso to replace Jolyon Palmer at Renault from the United States Grand Prix last month.
While it was a troubled weekend for Nico Hulkenberg in Austin, the Spaniard walked into the Enstone outfit at CotA and out-qualified the German at the first attempt, something Palmer had not done all year long.Then, when Hulkenberg retired from the race, Sainz stepped up to finish seventh earning him plaudits aplenty from his new bosses and others.
Already the battle between the two drivers looks set to be one of the most enthralling in 2018, with thousandths of a second usually the gap in most sessions, and though the momentum wasn’t maintained in Mexico with both Renault drivers retiring, the 23-year-old is confident he is settling in further with each passing day.
“I knew from the past when I switched teams in the lower categories, or when I did a test in F1 in 2013, that I could adapt very quickly to whatever you give me,” he said in Brazil on Thursday.
“I know I am good at that, but I didn’t expect to be so competitive right from the start. It has been a positive start in that sense.
“I still have a long way to go and I think Nico is still a couple of steps ahead, but I am catching up and hopefully I can catch up before the end of the season.”
After getting a first sample of what has been the main weakness of Renault this year, the unreliability, Sainz admits improvements to the engine are going to be crucial, however, from the works team perspective, he has no doubt the continued establishment of the workforce back at base will be just as important.
“I think the main progress has to come from the power unit and reliability and that will immediately help our chances of being higher in the standings,” he stated.
“As well as that, with all the infrastructure and all the resources back in Enstone, I can only see the team going forward from now. They all look positive and motivated and it is good to see – it is good to arrive at a team where everyone is so happy and motivated.”
Currently, Sainz is at Renault on loan from the Red Bull stable, with the second generation racing driver the backup option should Daniel Ricciardo decide to leave the Milton Keynes outfit at the end of 2018.
After recent comments by the Australian about his future, there is some uncertainty and therefore, already speculation that Sainz’s stay with the French manufacturer will be short-lived.
Offering his view, however, he claimed: “Everything about 2019 and the Red Bull rumours do not interest me right now.”
