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#3 Maiden podium for 'Smooth Operator' Carlos Sainz
With the ‘Best of the Rest’ spot being closely fought for between McLaren and Renault, Carlos Sainz has been consistently hovering over the sixth and seventh spots in 2019. Starting from P20, the Spaniard pulled out an absolutely superlative drive to weave through the field and cross the line in P4.
While Sainz was ecstatic with the result at the chequered flag, his afternoon was about to get even better when the stewards handed Lewis Hamilton a five-second penalty for the collision with Albon. That propelled him upto third in the race classification.
Sainz has been going from strength to strength ever since he decided to leave Toro Rosso and in him McLaren seem to have got a calm and able replacement for Fernando Alonso. A hard-fought and slightly lucky first podium for the ‘Smooth Operator’ Sainz was completely deserved when one considers how consistent he has been in the McLaren this season. Sainz has been one of the main reasons McLaren are fourth in the standings and is surely one to watch for in the years to come.
