Abiteboul praises Sainz for instant Renault impact

Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul has thrown praise at Carlos Sainz after the quick impression the Spaniard left. Sainz joined Renault towards the end of the season, as the French manufacturer prepared him for a full-season campaign in 2018.

Sainz spent almost three years with Toro Rosso and was linked with a move away for 2018. At the Japanese Grand Prix, Jolyon Palmer announced that he would be parting ways with the team following the race, which allowed Sainz to come in.

The 23-year-old heavily impressed on his Renault debut at the US Grand Prix. After qualifying in eighth, he went on to cross the finish line in sixth. Abiteboul was very happy with Sainz's end of season performances, stating he has a good understanding of the car.

"He’s clearly brought lots of energy, he’s brought his motivation, his willingness to continue to progress and to continue to show what he’s capable of outside of the sort of Red Bull environment which is a very good environment but sometimes also a strong environment for a driver to cope with," said Abiteboul to Racer.

"So he’s done that, he’s also scored some points. But also he’s shown some very useful directions for the development for next year, because he’s coming from a different environment. He was capable of bringing some ideas, suggestions.

"He’s got a very good understanding of the mechanics of the car, the fundamentals of the car – and it’s coming at a time when things were not complete for next year, so that’s very useful and we are happy to have made that decision."

Fergal Walsh