Sainz reveals targets to catch Ferrari team-mate Leclerc

Carlos Sainz has outlined the start-line procedure and his qualifying performance as areas of improvement in order to gain parity with Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc.

The Spanish driver was renowned for his lightning-paced launches during his time with McLaren but has so far found his form difficult to replicate for the Scuderia since his winter switch.

When asked why this was the case, Sainz replied: “I went through the data analysis with my engineers trying to understand what I could have done better.

"What is clear is that I still need to get a bit better and a bit more confidence with the start system and the way we operate to get that perfect launch and that perfect first 100 metres."

Commenting on his recent poor start at his home grand prix, he added: "I don’t think that was the main limitation.

"I think the main limitation was a bit the positioning after that, getting in and out of the slipstream and then being boxed in behind [Alpine's Esteban] Ocon into turn one and losing quite a lot of positions to the cars around the outside."

Sainz finished behind Daniel Ricciardo's McLaren in Barcelona as Leclerc's virtuoso performance saw him trail only the two Mercedes and Max Verstappen in fourth.

With the Monaco GP next on the calendar, Sainz also pointed to the importance of improving the consistency of his qualifying performances in order to join Leclerc in the top five.

"It is a combination of factors to get a perfect result like Charles did," said Sainz.

"You need to first of all put the weekend completely together. It comes to a good qualifying, to make the lap in Q3.

"If I would have nailed it I would have started further ahead and there would not have been that issue, then nailing the start.

"This is what I was particularly good at with McLaren, putting the whole weekend together and this is what I need to keep improving as the races go on with this team.”

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