'Russia owes me one,' believes Toro Rosso's Sainz

40

Carlos Sainz is heading to Russia next weekend hoping for a change in fortunes at Sochi Autodrom.

The Toro Rosso driver hasn't had the best of luck with his first two visits to the circuit. He overcame a massive crash in final practice in 2015. He hit problems again in last year's race that saw him finish outside the top ten.

"I always get asked about my 2015 crash when we get to Russia," Sainz said. He added: "I remember posting a photo from the hospital to say that I was okay.

"I received so many good wishes, it was amazing to see how Formula 1 comes together when these things happen.

"What I was most impressed with that weekend was the support of the fans and the whole paddock," he added. "We're a big family and people really care about each other."

Despite being taken to hospital on Saturday, the battered and bruised Sainz was recovered enough to to start the Grand Prix the next day.

"We did a massive comeback, starting from the very back and climbing up to P6 before having to retire," he said. "And last year I was just unlucky to get a piece of wing stuck in my radiator," he added.

"I think Russia owes me one," Sainz noted. "Points are on my list of objectives this time in Russia!"

Red Bull won't let Sainz go - Horner

So far this season Sainz has finished in the top ten in two of the three races. He missed out on Bahrain after colliding with Williams' Lance Stroll on lap 12. That incident means he starts the Russian Grand Prix with a three-place grid drop penalty.

"I obviously was quite surprised with the grid drop," Sainz said. "I thought they [the race stewards] were going to consider it a racing incident. But there you have it."

Despite the penalty, the Spanish driver is confident that despite that handicap, anything is possible in Sochi. "The most special thing about the track is Turn 3," he commented. "A very long corner which is tough for the neck and enjoyable to drive."

Meanwhile Sainz is happy that the spotlight next weekend will be on his team mate Daniil Kvyat, for whom the Russian Grand Prix is his home event.

“I've learned a few Russian words thanks to my teammate, Daniil," Sainz revealed. "I think its best that I don't tell you which words he's taught me!"

"The only one I will share with you I'm sure you all know: matryoshka," he added, referring to the name given to the traditional nesting dolls dating from the 1940s.

GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.