Sainz: Not overreacting to poor start was vital to strong season

Carlos Sainz says not overreacting to his poor start to the 2019 season was crucial for how the rest of the season has turned out so far.

The Spaniard failed to score points at the opening three races of the year, but has scored at every race since bar Canada.

MORE: Important for McLaren to upgrade from 'ageing' wind tunnel - Key | Seidl pleased with McLaren’s strong step forward

Sainz's strong form this season sees him sit seventh in the drivers' championship with 58 points, 27 points ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, who is one position below the McLaren driver. 

"Given how bad the first two races start and how unlucky I was during the first two or three races, to be where I am at the moment is really positive," Sainz said.

"The key there was don't overreact to the first races, just kept doing what I was doing. Then the luck turned around the results start coming. Since Baku, it's been a very strong season.

"It took me less time to adapt to the McLaren than it did to adapt to the Renault. We are still learning the car, and I am still learning. You saw in Silverstone in the car you can surprise now and then.

"From Australia, FP1, FP1, FP3 I was fast. In Bahrain, I was fast in qualifying, I was fighting Max for a top-five place. I was there throughout those races but somehow the results never clicked.

"But as soon as the result arrived in Baku, suddenly everything started coming together."

McLaren had plan in place to ease switch from Renault

When asked why he found it easier to adapt at McLaren compared to when he joined Renault towards the end of the 2017 season, Sainz says that there was a plan in place in order to ensure he fitted in comfortably. 

"I felt with McLaren, we've put together a plan to make sure I adapted quickly," Sainz said. "We knew we had a two-year contract and the engineers came up with a plan during winter to make sure we arrived at the first race as prepared as possible.

"I had 100 laps in Abu Dhabi where I managed to learn a lot. Those 100 laps were all planned in order to help me know the car for the next year. That preparation and planning  ahead helped a lot."