Renault happy with Sainz's progress

Author of two points finishes over the first three weekends of the season, the young Spaniard had nevertheless suffered the law of a Nico Hulkenberg at the top of his form, whether in qualifying or in the race.

Over the next two rounds, Sainz, who admits to not yet feeling completely at ease with the RS18, took a masterful 5th place in a crazy race in Baku and enhanced it with a combative 7th position during his national Grand Prix in Barcelona.

« He accumulates two very good races which were not easy, told Abiteboul to AUTOhebdo. There (in Barcelona, ​​Editor’s note) he found himself sandwiched between the two Saubers of Fred Vasseur who intelligently used Ericsson to make life difficult for us but that's part of the game.

Apart from this moment, which was a little tricky and we'll talk about it again, Carlos delivered a really solid race. It marked a complete turnaround compared to Friday when we were far behind with poor settings.

I emphasize this because Carlos was able to react very well in qualifying with settings that were completely different, especially with the soft tires in Q2. They had never tested them with this new configuration, but the lap in Q2 is the most important because it is the one which determines the tires at the start if we enter Q3.

There are lots of little things happening, you don't necessarily see it from afar but he is gaining confidence and stature with the team and the car  ".

Arriving at the Yellow and Black in Austin last year, Sainz is only on loan for the 2018 season from Red Bull. Abiteboul readily admits that his recent performances invite Renault to want to secure the services of the Madrilenian over a longer period.  

« I find that there is a very good atmosphere, not comfortable but constructive, added the Frenchman. We can see in other teams how complicated it can be to have drivers who work more difficult together, even if the challenges are not yet the same I agree.

This aspect should not be underestimated at a time when we are building a lot of things. It is therefore in our interest to play the stability card  ».

Sainz is currently 10th in the Drivers' standings with 19 points, two places and three points behind his teammate Hülkenberg.

Find our interview with Carlos Sainz in the new issue of AUTOhebdo, available now in digital version and on newsstands.