Carlos Sainz believes the start and opening stint of the Spanish Grand Prix will be important for his victory chances after qualifying on the second row of the grid.
The Ferrari driver will start his home race from third, albeit his pace deficit to Charles Leclerc continued by setting a time more than four-tenths off the pace of his pole-sitting teammate.
With the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya historically being a tough circuit to overtake on, Sainz highlighted the importance of a quick getaway from the grid.
"Yeah, it's been a tough weekend so far," said Sainz after qualifying.
"The conditions haven't been the easiest with the heat and with the wind, but today we managed to put in a decent lap and that allows us to fight from there tomorrow.
"I think the key will be the start [and] the tyre management. [We'll] see if we can get a good start and go from there, but it's a decent position to start."
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Sainz lacking new tyres for the race
With tyre management forecasted to be a critical aspect of the Spanish Grand Prix, Sainz was left regretting his used tyre qualifying laps.
He added that his strategy might become difficult without the option of using brand new tyres.
"Yeah, I think everything is possible tomorrow," added Sainz.
"We're definitely going to try our best to get ahead at the start and lead from there. It wasn't the ideal qualifying, because I couldn't set a good lap on the used tyre.
"[We're] probably lacking a new set of tyres for tomorrow for the first stint, but I think anything can happen and we will try our best."
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