Sainz expecting tyre management to be pivotal in Mexico

Carlos Sainz has admitted he expects tyre graining to be a huge factor as to how the Mexican Grand Prix weekend pans out but the McLaren driver insists he felt comfortable following the opening sessions.

Sainz finished seventh in FP1 with a time of 1:18.401 and then eighth in FP2 after being beaten by both Toro Rosso's during the second session of the weekend. 

Several drivers have struggled during the opening day with managing their tyres and Sainz believes how well they deal with this factor could well determine how they perform this weekend.

“I think it’s been another solid Friday, not finishing off in the best way with a scrappy lap on the Soft tyre in FP2 but, overall, I felt comfortable with the car and comfortable with the set-up," Sainz said in McLaren's Friday review.

“We haven’t made massive changes throughout the day and we completed our run plan, so that’s good news.

"Still, it looks like the big thing this weekend is going to be tyre graining and how to manage it. We’ll analyse the data gathered and get ready for tomorrow.”