Sainz unhappy to miss FP1 in Sepang

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Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz admits that he is unhappy to miss Friday's opening practice session of the Malaysian GP .

The Faenza-based squad awarded four FP1 outings to Red Bull junior Sean Gelael, starting in Singapore. With new recruit Pierre Gasly in need of track time for his F1 debut, Sainz has been sidelined once again at Sepang.

"Let’s say that I’m not the happiest man, knowing that I will, for the second consecutive time, miss free practice one," he said.

"Obviously at Singapore it turned out to be good because we still managed to get into Q3 and P4.

"But in a tougher weekend like Malaysia when I expect to have more [work] to do in FP1, FP2, FP3…

"Hopefully like in Singapore we can do our best and come back strong like we did there."

Sainz 'smiling' over Renault's rapidly improving pace

Sainz insisted that he wanted Toro Rosso to fight for all its worth to try and capture fifth place in this year’s Constructors’ Championship.

The team is current sixth, just seven points behind Williams after Sainz's rewarding P4 finish in Singapore two weeks ago.

"We know that our pace at the moment is not the fastest of the midfield," he said.

"We also know that on Sundays we have our little chances to score extra points and we need to make sure that whenever there’s a chance – like in Singapore – to score good points we do it.

"That’s what makes the difference in the midfield, when you have a race where you can score a lot of points.

"So hopefully, together with Pierre [Gasly], we can achieve that target, also keeping an eye on Renault, McLaren behind us in the championship who are definitely starting to come on very strong towards the end of the season."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.