F1 News
Carlos Sainz knows who to be wary of in the 2020 Formula 1 season
If there were question marks about Formula 1's midfield pecking order before winter testing, there's even more after the six days of action. Virtually every team spent at least a day at the top of the timesheets, but McLaren's Carlos Sainz believes he knows who will be the biggest threat to his team's best of the rest name.
McLaren outperformed Renault last season as Sainz actually beat both Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon to claim the 'best of the rest' driver position come the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Sainz says he's impressed by all the teams but points out two of the strongest.
“Everyone is looking strong. Every single team you look at, at some point in the test, they have done a very strong lap time, so it’s difficult to know who is at the front of the midfield or behind. Racing Point, or even AlphaTauri, I would put as the most dangerous guys to beat; I think we will all be in the mix," Sainz told Formula 1's official website.
“Racing Point have been very quick, the whole two weeks. They hit the track and they did a [1m17.3s], and since then, they have improved – three or four-tenths quicker, [so] you say it’s tight with Racing Point or AlphaTauri.”
Closer to the top
Mercedes, Ferrari and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing have been the only three teams realistically able to get on the podium during race weekends. Sainz, alongside Sergio Perez, have been long hoping to get real chances of race-winning cars. For the time being, Sainz hopes that McLaren can close the gap on the top three.
"What I hope is all of us are closer to the top than we were last year. That would be my biggest wish, independent of the position. I wish the midfield this year could be close enough to the leaders to make sure if the leaders have an accident in lap one, that they don’t move through the field, that would be my biggest thing," he added.