Carlos Sainz has suggested that he and Lando Norris could aid each other in Formula 1’s Russian Grand Prix by pulling clear of the pack.
Sainz will start Sunday’s race at Sochi from second on the grid, behind former team-mate Lando Norris, with Williams’ George Russell third.
World Champion Lewis Hamilton is only fourth on the grid, with team-mate Valtteri Bottas seventh, while title leader Max Verstappen is set to start from the back.
“I either get a good getaway and it’s a direct race into Turn 2, or if not, obviously I’ll need to try to find a slipstream, because we know we are not the fastest on the straights and we are doing to need to find some tow, some draft, because if not, it’s going to be a long run down into Turn 1,” said Sainz on potential tactics.
“I’ve been sharing rows with this guy [Norris] pretty much the last two years in Formula 1, so we know very well each other.
“Hopefully we can have a good start, both and keep pulling away because there’s going to be the guys behind coming, and that’s going to be when the fun starts.
“It’s a strange circuit this one – because obviously race pace is important and we need to see how easy it is to overtake. Normally in the past it has been quite tricky.
“Obviously we have the two Mercs and the Red Bull that are going to be pushing us a lot.
“They are clearly, around here, half a second to a second quicker than us – so at some point they will put pressure on us and we will need to see if we can keep ourselves ahead.”
