Carlos Sainz was desperately unlucky at the Brazilian Grand Prix as an issue with the drivetrain on his Toro Rosso which prevented him from starting the race, and was his seventh technical failure so far this season.
The Spaniard, while impressive on debut in 2015, has been totally overshadowed by the meteoric success of Verstappen.
"Yes he is good, everybody knows that and I can't deny it," Sainz told AS newspaper. "But I think next year we will have a good opportunity to be compared more equally."
"This year I have had so many reliability problems, so I think it's not fair if you compare our points," added Sainz.
Speaking after the disappointment at Interlagos, Sainz said, "How frustrating not to even be able to start the race! I went to do the first practice start on the way to the grid but the engine suddenly turned off."
"I was pushed back to the garage and started the race from the pit-lane, but as soon as I left the engine stopped... It’s a shame, because I was really looking forward to racing here!"
"It’s definitely not the ideal situation for a rookie like me, as I need to gain experience and finish races, but now we just need to look forward," added the Toro Rosso driver.
Team principal Franz Tost acknowledged, "Carlos wasn’t able to make it to the starting grid because of an issue on the drivetrain."
"We checked everything when he was brought back to the garage and he started the race from the pit-lane, but unfortunately after only a few hundred metres we recognised that the problem was not solved, the rear tyres locked-up and that was the end of his race."
"I’m really sorry for Carlos, because this is now his seventh retirement due to a technical failure, where the driver cannot do anything about it," added Tost.
Sainz has scored 18 points this season, while in the garage next to him fellow rookie Verstappen has 49 to his credit.
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