Barcelona

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Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz is of the view that McLaren has the best package in Formula 1 after Lando Norris finished just behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen to secure second spot on the podium at the Spanish Grand Prix. 

While Red Bull and Ferrari struggled in certain sections of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, McLaren dominated the race and did not face any significant problems. 

“I think honestly, the most consistent car right now is a McLaren," said Sainz, who finished sixth, behind teammate Charles Leclerc. 

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“I think Red Bull are struggling in certain tracks. Same as us. McLaren is quick everywhere. They're quick in low-speed. They're flat in turn three and nine. They were fastest in turn five," he said. 

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The Spaniard added that Red Bull still remained top of the pile for him but the improvements made by McLaren had certainly put them in the championship conversation. 

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"So I just don't see McLaren having any weakness right now. For me, Red Bull is still up there. But McLaren is quick everywhere, which is quite impressive," he said.

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Norris' slow start 

Norris started the race at the front of the grid but could not get out of the blocks quickly as Mercedes' George Russell took the lead at Turn 1. Verstappen, however, kept up with the pace and managed to take the inside line to go past the British driver a few minutes later on lap 3. 

Norris lost the opportunity to win the race after the team took the gamble of staying out, behind Russell while the likes of Verstappen, and Hamilton preferred to pit early. Norris lost nearly four seconds sitting behind Russell and later had to endure a slow pit exit, which contributed to a second-place finish. 

"I had to do a bit of rallying on the straight, I had to take to the grass a little bit, which lost me a bit of momentum, and then of course, we're braking quite late into Turn 1," said Norris in the post-match interview.

If Norris had pitted early, the fans could have witnessed a dogfight till the finishing line between him and Verstappen. The Red Bull driver admitted that McLaren were "very quick" but his team came up with the aggressive strategy that "played out in the end". 

(With inputs from agencies)