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Singapore will dictate Toro Rosso's form in run-in - Sainz

Carlos Sainz thinks the Singapore Grand Prix will be a crunch weekend for deciding how the remainder of its 2016 campaign will go.

Carlos Sainz Jr., Scuderia Toro Rosso STR11

Carlos Sainz Jr., Scuderia Toro Rosso STR11

Alessio Morgese

Carlos Sainz Jr., Scuderia Toro Rosso STR11
Carlos Sainz Jr., Scuderia Toro Rosso
Carlos Sainz Jr., Scuderia Toro Rosso STR11
Carlos Sainz Jr., Scuderia Toro Rosso STR11
Carlos Sainz Jr., Scuderia Toro Rosso STR11
Carlos Sainz Jr., Scuderia Toro Rosso STR11
Carlos Sainz Jr., Scuderia Toro Rosso

The Spaniard's Toro Rosso outfit has struggled for pace in recent races, and the team has been seeking answers as to why a major update introduced at the German GP did not deliver a step forward in form hoped for.

In a bid to help deliver answers, Sainz and teammate Daniil Kvyat conducted an intensive back-to-back test of old and new components at the Italian GP to see if it would get help get to the bottom of the situation.

And it is the reaction to that work which Sainz thinks will show in Singapore, so if the team is better there then it can have reason to believe it can enjoy a positive finish to the campaign.

"Our main target is to arrive at Singapore with answers clear about what has been wrong," he explained.

"In Singapore, it is where our second half of the season starts and it will dictate if we are going to continue to struggle like we are now, or in Singapore we are back in Q3 and points and still have some faith that the second half of season will not be bad."

Although Toro Rosso's season began stalling when the updates arrived at Hockenheim, Sainz is not convinced that the situation is simply related to the new aerodynamic parts.

"I don't think so," he said. "The team also doesn't think all of the problems are there. But just in case the team did a great job to bring the old package back [to Monza] - even if it was money to invest – to try to do a comparison and see where the differences are.

"Because of this the team are doing a great effort, more aero guys, two different packages, swapping packages – efforts to try to understand. All the data is now collected and a lot of analysis is being done."

The performance in Singapore will be doubly significant, because the Marina Bay circuit is not so power sensitive, which means Toro Rosso will not be held back as much by its 2015 Ferrari engine.

Sainz added: "At the end, it is a key race for us because it will dictate our level of performance at a track that is actually be good for us. If in Singapore we continue to struggle, then we know there is definitely a tough season ahead."

Don’t miss our Singapore GP video preview…

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