Carlos Sainz Jr. says his time in second practice for Formula 1’s Canadian Grand Prix is not entirely representative, despite being encouraged by the pace of his McLaren MCL34.
Sainz Jr. has risen from a point-less start to his McLaren tenure to head the midfield pecking order, while the Renault-powered team has pulled clear of its rivals in the battle for fourth in the standings.
Sainz Jr. caught the eye on Friday afternoon at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve as he classified fourth overall, behind only the Ferrari drivers and Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas.
The Spaniard’s best time was just 0.376s down on Charles Leclerc’s overall session-leading effort.
“Obviously I’m pretty happy with the day so far,” said Sainz Jr.
“I think we’ve probably had one of the best Fridays of the season, but still I don’t believe for a bit that we are fourth fastest.
“I think we are definitely behind the top three teams.
“I guess I was getting comfortable with the car but probably tomorrow will be back to reality.”
Sainz Jr. added that he was encouraged by the manner in which the MCL34 was responding to new parts and set-up changes through the course of the day.
“Yeah everything is working as it should,” he said.
“We’ve tried some experimental stuff also on the car today. A lot of items, changing front wings, changing everything around just to try and find the optimum balance.
“There’s a lot to analyse today to see what was working well and what was not. I’m happy with the team experimenting stuff, trying stuff. It means we’re keen to move forward and that is what I want to see.”
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