McLaren determined for Sainz to finish sixth in championship
F1 News
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl has set the target for his driver Carlos Sainz to finish sixth in the drivers' championship, with the Spaniard currently sitting in seventh just three points behind Pierre Gasly.
The latter was demoted from Aston Martin Red Bull Racing to Toro Rosso over the summer break, getting replaced by Alexander Albon. The rookie has been good for Red Bull so far, finishing either fifth or sixth in the four races he's driven.
Although it's unlikely Gasly will outscore Sainz for the remainder of the season, Albon is catching the 25-year-old now that he's in a superior car at Red Bull. He's 14 points behind with five races to go, and Seidl knows it'll be tough to keep him behind Sainz in the standings.
“For the drivers' championship clearly our target with Carlos is to score P6,” he told RaceFans.net.
“There’s two main competitors which is Gasly and Albon. Albon is catching up quickly So hopefully we can keep this fight up as long as possible.”
The former Porsche man went on to praise Sainz this season, as he tops the midfield more often than not as McLaren comfortably sit in fourth place in the constructors' championship.
“It’s impressive what Carlos is pulling off not just in qualifying but also what he’s doing race by race.
“He was really unlucky in six races so far this year not scoring points. But whenever we gave him the machine to battle it out the track. He’s delivering and that’s impressive.”