Sainz warns against ‘overconfidence’

Heading to Montreal on the back of his third successive top-ten showing, Carlos Sainz has warned McLaren that getting overconfident would be a “huge mistake”.

Sainz secured a season’s best sixth place at the last outing, the Monaco Grand Prix, and in doing so saw McLaren move 13 points clear of Racing Point in the battle for best of the rest in the Constructors’ Championship.

It was a great result for the Spaniard and a sure sign that McLaren’s recovery is moving in the right direction.

However, heading to Canada for round seven of the championship, Sainz says concedes there is still a lot of work to be done.

“After three races in a row scoring points we’ve got some good momentum and we will try to extend that in Canada,” he said.

“Monaco was a strong weekend for me personally, but it is already in the past and we know the car has margin to improve, so now is the time to push even harder if we want to maintain our position in the championship.

“Getting overconfident would be a huge mistake at this point.

“Canada has offered some great racing in the past and the layout of the track is interesting.

“It shares characteristics with the street circuits, but it also has some high-speed sectors which are fun to drive with these cars.

“I look forward to getting the weekend started.”

As for his team-mate Lando Norris, the British rookie will make his Montreal debut and hopes the grand prix is an exciting as his runs on the simulator.

“I’m very excited to head to Canada and Montreal,” he said.

“It will be my first time there and the track is one I’ve always liked driving on the sim.

“It definitely looks like you can overtake and have a bit more fun there.

“The racing can be a bit unpredictable at this circuit and the weather often plays a part.

“My focus, as always, is on making sure I’m in a position to take any chances I can for both myself and the team and gaining as much experience of a new track as possible.”

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