Sainz Jr: “I was a little struggling in all the braking zones”

The Azerbaijani weekend started off rather well for Carlos Sainz Jr (McLaren). The Spanish pilot appeared in the top 10 of Free Practice 2, this Friday, April 26 in Baku, but does not want to draw any hasty conclusions.

"I don't think we can draw many conclusions after this first day because I didn't feel completely comfortable with the car, warming up the tires. Some of the other drivers set their fast lap at the start of the session when the track was still very green, while I put in my effort at the end of the session when the track was cleaner, explains the Madrilenian.

We are maybe 6th, 7th or 16th. There is still a lot to learn because I have the impression that we are just at the end of FP1. » This impression is explained by thealmost cancellation of the first session due to a drained manhole by Williams by George Russell. Also, the competitors transposed their preparatory work from FP1 to the second session on Friday.

Follow # FP2 with live updates direct from our #AzerbaijanGP garage we #TEAMStream https://t.co/cnJBz9wmGZ pic.twitter.com/4R2yx1CLW5

- McLaren (@ McLarenF1) April 26th

“We saw how things can go wrong in EL2 with yellow flags, guys making mistakes,” continues the man who still has to open his points counter after three races. For the moment, the goal is to stay on the track, away from the walls and to build confidence. Today, we survived but there is still a lot of work to do. »

As for Pierre Gasly (Red Bull), the braking phases constitute an important work area for the son of the double world rally champion (WRC). “It was quite stressful not being able to get the rear tires up to temperature. I had a bit of trouble in all the braking zones and entering corners. Lots of work for tomorrow. The feeling is not there yet and there are still a lot of unknowns. »