Sainz is upset: "Thought we could take on Red Bull Racing"

Carlos Sainz starts the Russian Grand Prix from sixth place. Normally it would be a good performance for McLaren, but Sainz himself was not completely satisfied. In the build-up to the race on Sunday Sainz explains where the problem lay, why he 'only' qualified in sixth place.

"I think we just depend enormously on the job conditions. If you had asked me after FP3 where we would be, I could have said with confidence that we were up to the challenge with Renault, Racing Point and Red Bull Racing," explains Sainz to Autosport. Things turned out differently, however, and the Spaniard had to settle for sixth place.

"The wind got a lot heavier and suddenly the car was no longer at its fastest. So we had a lot more problems with the balance of the car. I don't normally talk about the problems we have like that. However, we already knew that we were sensitive to the wind, we already found that out in Mugello," McLaren's driver says.

The Spaniard hopes that he can make up for a lot of places in Sochi, but for that the conditions have to be good for the car. "There really is only one ideal line. It's also a lot dirtier from the start. You already felt that on Saturday and that will be the case today. Fortunately I'm starting on the clean side of the track, so that's a good place to start," Sainz concludes.