Carlos Sainz says he is "not surprised at all" with recent comments made by Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul.
Days ago, Abiteboul said in Barcelona that after Jolyon Palmer was ousted, Sainz’s arrival at Renault was a sort of wake-up call for Nico Hulkenberg.
"It did not wake him up," the Frenchman said, "because he’s a competitor who never falls asleep, but it did worry him. And I think that’s what drives him to excel."
When asked about his boss’s comments, Spaniard Sainz told El Mundo Deportivo: "Does it motivate me?
"I already knew that a teammate always looks at who is next to him.
"And so I knew that with being fairly close to him in the first race then obviously Nico would have that concern," Sainz said.
"So I’m not surprised at all. I think it’s normal that Cyril said that," he added.