Carlos Sainz Jr. was satisfied with his and his Renault Sport Formula 1 Team’s performance during Qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix, with both himself and team-mate Nico Hülkenberg advancing through to the top ten shootout.
The Spaniard found himself out-qualified by Hülkenberg, but both will share the fourth row of the grid on Sunday once Daniel Ricciardo takes his grid penalty for an unscheduled component change on his engine.
Sainz continued his strong start to his Renault career and is aiming for a second points finish in three races on Sunday, although he knows Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton coming through from the back of the field will make the race more interesting.
“It was a good day,” said Sainz. “I’m feeling more confident with the car and today was definitely a step forward from previous sessions.
“There’s still scope for improvement and adaptation, but to be in Q3 for the third time with my new team is a positive experience.
“Points are definitely the target tomorrow. It’s going to be an interesting race with Hamilton and Ricciardo fighting back, but we have the pace, so we just need to keep pushing.”
