Carlos Sainz has thanked his new Renault team for making his switch from Toro Rosso to the French manufacturer as smooth as possible, which allowed the Spaniard to concentrate on driving to the best of his ability this weekend in Austin.
Sainz stepped into the R.S.17 for the first time on Friday after a late driver swap and was immediately on the pace, qualifying an impressive eighth and finishing a position higher in seventh.
"It was a great debut for me with Renault and I really enjoyed myself out there," he said. "Right from the beginning, every lap I was feeling more confident with the car, so I was able to push harder.
"I was able to attack the Force Indias, which have been out of reach for the team for the past few races, so to overtake one and attack another was a great result.
"Everything has gone very smoothly the whole weekend; I knew I could be quick and I had confidence in myself.
"The whole team has really helped me out and that was key to adapt quickly. To have such a good qualifying and race makes me really happy and I have great thanks for every single member of the team."
