Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz believes he has so far made the most of the hand of cards he was dealt this year, pleased with what he has accomplished in the first half of the 2016 season.
In an exclusive interview with F1i and our very own Chris Medland, Sainz reviews his year to date, his feelings on Max Verstappen's in-season promotion to Red Bull Racing and his prospects for 2017.
Ultimately, the Spaniard is happy with where he is today in his life as a Grand Prix driver.
"I think I can be very pleased with this first half of the season," Sainz told F1i
"To do more than we actually have done would have been very difficult. I think the first four races were quite unfortunate for us.
"We had the car to score a lot of points but we didn’t capitalise on it because it was almost like we had this black cat following us from 2015.
“From Barcelona this black cat went away and suddenly the results started to come together. We lost a podium in Monaco which was a big frustration but apart from that we’ve scored points in every race I’ve finished since then except for Baku.
"So I think we can be very pleased and I think we’ve done a big step forward, and me personally also."
While Sainz admits his own progress and development, he also insists that circumstances, mainly associated with small details which prevented him from showing his true potential, have changed more than he has.
"What’s happened in the last seven or eight races looks like I’m a completely different driver when I’m not. I’m exactly the same guy as the first four races."
Exclusive F1i interview with Carlos Sainz
Felipe Nasr writes exclusively for F1i about Hungary, Germany and the summer break
Explaining the F1 summer break
Chris Amon: A legend's career in pictures
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
