Sainz gives Norris and McLaren tips to shine in Baku

Ferrari Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz expects P3 rival McLaren to come back strong in Baku after being overtaken in Monaco and is backing former teammate Lando Norris to shine in Azerbaijan.

Before the Monaco Grand Prix, Norris Sainz texted the Spaniard saying the Spaniard had a good chance of winning the race based on Ferrari’s excellent cornering performance at low speed.

Ferrari put in a strong performance in the Principality, Charles Leclerc taking pole and Sainz finishing second, his first podium for Scuderia.

McLaren was able to mitigate the point loss to its competitors for third place in the constructors’ championship with a third place for Norris.

The fight is now on the streets of Baku, from which Sainz expects a strong track for McLaren with Mercedes engines due to its long straights.

“I said before I got in [last race] At the weekend Monaco would be a good reference for me to know how confident I am in the new car, the new team and to be honest, I’ve really felt at home since FP1 so I was faster, “said Sainz.

“If we go to Baku I think we won’t be the best on this long straight, but if we can get back time on the narrow part at the same time, we should be fine.

“I think the one who should look forward to Baku now is my friend Lando Norris on the left because he has a rocket on the straight and the car is definitely not bad. Last year it wasn’t bad in Monza, not bad in Monaco So maybe I bet you.

“You know, he put pressure on [on me] before you go inside [the Monaco] Weekend say I have a chance to win. You were right of course, now let’s see if I’m right about Baku. “

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When asked about Sainz’s comments, Norris said McLaren gained some confidence in Monaco after fighting in Barcelona but didn’t want to travel to Baku with too high expectations.

“We’ll see, these guys are fast on the straights. You need good straight-ahead speed, you need good faith in the brakes with so little downforce.

“We fought a lot in Barcelona and I think that’s why we thought we weren’t going to be competitive.” [in Monaco].

“But it’s changing, we’re still learning the car, even though it’s pretty similar to last year, there are some changes and they definitely had an impact on the car.

“So, we’re better in some places, maybe a little worse in some places, but considering that we thought we weren’t going to be good, we came out pretty well I guess.

“I don’t think it’s good to have too many expectations,” concluded Norris before joking: “I’ll be ahead of Carlos.”