Sainz remains critical: 'There is margin for improvement'

Carlos Sainz can be satisfied with a third and first time in the first two free practices in France. The Spaniard has a good feeling in his car, although Sainz knows he will face a tough task on Sunday due to his grid penalty.

Ferrari decided to replace an engine part this weekend, forcing him to accept a ten-place grid penalty. It means Sainz will have to try and fight his way onto the podium from the second half of the grid.

Sainz is trying not to be too distracted by this and is confident of a positive outcome to the race weekend. According to the driver, his team has done an excellent job with the updates that Ferrari has launched, he said on his official website.

"It has been a positive day. The updates seem to work well and the car felt good," Sainz said. "For sure the high temperatures of today were an important factor to consider, but we need to look carefully into how we can protect the tyres as much as possible. Given I’ll take a penalty on Sunday, we now need to focus on preparing the car for the race. There is margin for improvement so we’ll keep digging."