“If you have to design a track where we are going to suffer more due to its characteristics, it is Malaysia,” acknowledges Carlos Sainz.

Between the Baku and Sepang races, it was striking that seven drivers from the current grid, especially those without obligations as parents, got together in the Langkawi archipelago to spend a few days of ‘conviviality’ in which there was no shortage of the gym, cycling and karts. Carlos Sainz was the one who found the hotel and brought together his partner Alex Albon, George Russell, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Ollie Bearman and Gaby Bortoleto, as they reflected on their social networks: “In races we normally don’t see each other or spend time together because we have our commitments. On the island it was fun, seven drivers on an island to see what they end up doing. It was like a social experiment,” said the Madrid native.

Because of the conflict in the Middle East, BAhrein has had to partner with the Sepang circuit to carry out its GP without canceling it. And for those from Grove, Sepang is a challenge. “In Baku we had an evolved car, although it is also a track where we hoped to be more competitive. If you have to design a track where we are going to suffer more due to its characteristics, it is Malaysia. So we have a second test in Malaysia to test the evolutions and be realistic about the step forward we have taken on a pure downforce track. It is the best scenario to measure it.”

“I don’t think we would have made Q3 and points without the evolution. But Malaysia is a more typical F1 circuit and it will expose the real situation. Yes it was a good improvement, but not enough for our reality” or not important enough for the reality of our situation.

What the 55 hopes is not to have more incidents, after the penalties in Zandvoort, Madrid and Baku: “It is clear that in the last two weekends I have visited the stewards more than I would like; it is something that we are analyzing in the team to see what we can improve together and avoid having to make those visits so frequently. But no, it is not a lack of concentration. Normally, when you drive in the middle zone of the grid and you have a less competitive car, my experience tells me that you visit the marshals more often than when you have a top car and you only compete against two other drivers. But it just so happens that in the last two weekends we have added a couple of mistakes on our part.

The rain forecast

Sainz asks for a clean weekend, but the weather forecasts rain and it could be the first wet Grand Prix of the year. “It would certainly be a good test if it rains. It would also be a good test for the regulations, as I think that with all the problems we have related to downshifts, energy recovery, power and corner-to-corner variability, the wet conditions will be a challenge for sure. Both from a tire point of view, as I have heard that the rain and intermediate tires this year are quite difficult for the drivers, and from the power increase factor. So, it would certainly be a good test.”