Carlos: “We have to maximise our package”

Carlos Sainz loves Australia. “If it wasn’t so far away, I’d come here much more often. I’ve had time for a few outings over the past few days and now I’m in top form, with no jetlag and a relaxation and training programme under my belt.” The Spaniard met the media in the Albert Park paddock and spoke about the team’s short and medium-term objectives. “The target for this weekend is to find the right compromise between qualifying performance, which has been pretty good so far and our race pace, which in the first two Grands Prix has not lived up to our expectations. The medium-term goal is to develop the SF-23 with updates aimed at fixing the weak points we have identified.”

Positives. Carlos is realistic about what is possible right now, but he was keen to underline the fact that the start of the season has not been entirely negative. “Obviously, a lack of performance in the race has impacted our results and we definitely have to make a step forward. I am convinced we can do so. The team is in agreement on the direction to take and this gives us confidence that we can get where we want to be over the course of the year. So far this season, our guys have always produced very good pit stops, our race starts have been better and our strategies have been spot-on. These are all important elements which could prove useful over the course of the season.”