F1: Sainz is fed up of shooting in Montmel: “The car is a good step forward compared to 2019”

The McLaren leader finishes sixth in the time table (1: 17.842), nine tenths slower than the leader, Lewis Hamilton (1: 16.976).

The first day of official training was favorable for Carlos Sainz, who completed 161 laps in Montmel, a record only surpassed by Max Verstappen (Red Bull). “The sensations have been positive. I have felt comfortable from the first moment,” said McLaren leader, sixth in the time table (1: 17.842), nine tenths worse than Lewis Hamilton (1: 1676).

The world hexacampen rolled 1.2 seconds faster than Sebastian Vettel's best time on the first day of last season. However, its 15-turn relay with the C3 tire barely allowed conclusions to be drawn about the performance of the new Mercedes. Similarly, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and Verstappen also hid their cards at the time of the race simulations.

The optimism in McLaren became palpable in the middle of the session, when Sainz led the classification with C2 tires (1: 18.211). “It is still early to squeeze the car to the fullest, we are still getting it ready. Anyway, I know that a good step forward is noted compared to last year. Not so much in a slow curve, but in a medium curve,” he analyzed. Madrid.

More than 20C on the asphalt

Under almost ideal conditions, with a lot of grip and more than 20C of temperature on the asphalt, the Woking squad was able to complete its entire program. In fact, they only stopped rolling because they did not have more tires. Confirmed also the improvement of competition, the question among the expedition led by Andreas Seidl is very clear: Where is McLaren now?

Waiting for a conclusive response, Sainz is more than satisfied with having completed more turns than any day of the 2019 preseason. “Improving my sixth in the World Cup and the fourth in the Constructors' is difficult, almost impossible. But improving benefits of the car and being closer to large teams, that is possible, “said former Renault driver and Toro Rosso.

On Tuesday, the second round of training will be completed, with several developments regarding the eve. Sebastian Vettel try the Ferrari SF1000 in the afternoon, while Alexander Albon, Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly will debut with their brand new cars in Red Bull, McLaren and AlphaTauri, respectively. Mercedes, a great favorite to revalidate their successes in the World Cup, repeat with Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.