Despite a drinks bottle issue that almost resulted in him being sick in the cockpit, Carlos Sainz Jr. was able to continue his points scoring run in Australia, with the Spaniard claiming tenth place on Sunday for the Renault Sport Formula One Team.
Sainz complained of feeling unwell over the radio mid-race, but still soldiered on to the chequered flag, and after three consecutive top ten finishes around the Albert Park circuit in his Scuderia Toro Rosso days, he was able to take home a point with his 2018 employers Renault.
The Spaniard feels Renault can take many positives away from Australia, and he expects the team to come back even stronger next time out in Bahrain in two weeks time.
“It’s a positive start for the team and I’m very happy with the performance of the car,” said Sainz. “It’s a good job to take home a strong haul of points and we have something to build on ahead of Bahrain.
“Personally, I struggled a bit out there as I had a drinks bottle issue, the result of which was making me feel pretty unwell.
“The first stint was also a bit difficult with too much oversteer on the car, especially as there was a lot of wind out there today. We keep learning and we’ll be putting the work in ahead of Bahrain.”