Carlos Sainz Jr. believes McLaren had the fourth-fastest car for the first time in 2019, in the wake of its strong showing at the French Grand Prix.
McLaren has held fourth in the standings for several races but its driver has downplayed the pure pace of the car, reckoning it owed its position more to extracting the maximum from its package.
But in France Lando Norris qualified fifth, with Sainz Jr. sixth, and the Spaniard converted his grid position while Norris was set for seventh until a late hydraulics problem dropped him down the order.
“It was fun to drive the car as it was finally the fourth-fastest car, fourth-fastest balance, which is exactly what I asked the team after Monaco,” said Sainz Jr.
“I said ‘okay we are fourth in the championship but now we need to be the fourth fastest team and the fourth fastest car’.
“This weekend I can say we were finally the fourth-fastest team with the fourth-fastest car and finished best of the rest. And it’s always fun like that.
“The race itself was a bit boring but that’s good news as it means you’re in that gap between the top and the midfield.”
When asked by Motorsport Week whether McLaren can be fourth-best at each event, Sainz Jr. said: “[We need to] see how the track suits us, bring a couple more upgrades, hopefully in the pipeline for, not the next race, but further in the championship, and keep executing the way we are executing.
“The team is in a very good shape the race ream is performing great, and the car in the wind tunnel at the factory is alive.”
