Carlos Sainz pleasantly surprised: "Keeping up with Red Bull"

Carlos Sainz claimed a podium finish in the Bahrain Grand Prix with a third-place finish ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc. The Spaniard was aggressive throughout the race, pulling off some decisive moves to place a marker down at Ferrari. In the end, Sainz was pleased to see his pace compared to Sergio Perez in the Red Bull.

Many will have expected Charles Leclerc to be the lead driver heading into the season, but brake issues plagued him throughout the race.

Sainz said to David Coulthard post-race: "I felt really good out there today, the start wasn't ideal but then managed the tyres well. Overtook two or three cars, then keeping up with the Red Bull which was a pleasant surprise. Good steps forward. We had a very clear plan. With the hard, we feel more comfortable. It's a bit of a tricker tyre with warm up and front locking. But then we can push. We could play around with strategy today."

Sainz was cautious when asked whether Ferrari could build on this performance as the season unfolds: "Let's see. It's the first different circuit we go to so a surprise for everyone. I expect those that were good in the high speed to be good there. Our car has also improved in the high speed so hopefully we can be good there."