Carlos Sainz says he's learned a lot from a busy Australian Grand Prix that saw him eventually finish ninth, despite a delay of over 30 seconds in his single pit stop.
The Spaniard, who also survived first corner contact, lost several positions when the team had trouble with the left-rear wheel.
"They put a lot of problems in front of me in this first race, 58 laps without a single rest, and with all that to finish ninth we have to be positive," he said. "I just look forward to Malaysia, because I think we can keep up the good work."
Sainz admitted the pit stop delay was hugely frustrating.
"It was a tough moment for us - for the whole team - not only for me. We were in a very good position, we were fighting a Red Bull, which was our target. We were doing a great job, all of us, until that point onwards all the race changed, and it was just a matter of bringing it home without problems. We struggled a lot with fuel consumption and everything. It was a shame because to be honest we couldn't fight much for a position, we were very limited down the straights as we expected."
Regarding his first corner contact he said: "It was a bit of a shame, because I did a great start, and was maybe a bit too optimistic into Turn 1. But lesson learned, and we turn the page and go forward."
