Sainz scrapes points finish despite feeling unwell during race

Carlos Sainz managed to bring his Renault home in P10 despite a drinks bottle problem that made him feel unwell in Melbourne.

Sainz started in P9 and held his position from the start despite pressure from fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso.

He held off Alonso for a while until running wide and taking to the grass at turn 9, allowing Alonso to pass him.

Sainz said after the race: “It’s a positive start for the team and I’m very happy with the performance of the car.

“It’s a good job to take home a strong haul of points and we have something to build on ahead of Bahrain.

“Personally, I struggled a bit out there as I had a drinks bottle issue, the result of which was making me feel pretty unwell.”

He also had a few car problems, namely struggling to keep the car balanced through the corners early in the race: “The first stint was also a bit difficult with too much oversteer on the car, especially as there was a lot of wind out there today.

“We keep learning and we’ll be putting the work in ahead of Bahrain.”