Hi everybody, one third of the way through this season already! After a frustrating opening three races, we turned a corner in the next three - ending with sixth in Monaco, a result that I was so pleased with after all the hard work we have been putting in. Canada was challenging and, even though the result was not good for the team, it showed our potential and gives us the motivation to keep on pushing. Monaco is always a weekend I look forward to. Ever since I first raced there and won the Junior Monaco Kart Cup I have enjoyed it very much. It’s such a special place. The weekend didn’t start really well with the issue in P1 which meant I lost the whole of the first session. Monaco is about building confidence, so you don’t want to start the weekend 30-40 laps behind. But I stayed calm and found a rhythm. I was really happy to get into Q3, after a tough P3 where we were nowhere on pace. Then in the race, I got a good jump off the line but had nowhere to go so Alexander Albon nearly passed me around outside of Turn 1. But going up the hill, I was committed to getting ahead. Then I felt by braking late to stay ahead of Albon, I had an opportunity to get around the outside of Daniil Kvyat – so I took it and it was possibly one of the best moves of my career. I knew it was possible since I had already done it in the Renault 3.5 Series against Oliver Rowland. Thereafter it was good racing, good strategy by the team and I think it ended up being a very complete weekend. I also like the fact that I kept my record of always qualifying in the top 10 and finishing in the points in Monaco. Pre-Monaco football match

Carlos Sainz's Diary - Playing football in Monaco

Before we get down to racing, there was time to stretch my legs in the annual charity match, hosted by Prince Albert II of Monaco. A bunch of us drivers took part alongside ex-footballers in the Stade Louis II stadium. It was great fun. I played quite a lot this year – and even nut-megged William Gallas! The soreness the following morning was not that fun though, but it´s always a pleasure to join this match! Yachting in Monaco’s harbour

Carlos Sainz's Diary - On a boat in Monte Carlo

I was pretty excited when I found out I would get to drive a boat in Monaco as part of our PR schedule. On Friday, Lando and I took a VanDutch 40 and 55 – both draped in a McLaren-inspired design with my one having my number 55 on it – out onto the water for a photoshoot. It was a very cool boat, so I might ask Zak for a pay rise to get one! It was not only me and Lando out there but our communications team and my family, too. We needed to make it look like it was only Lando and me on there so, as you’ll see from the videos, they had to hide during the shoot. The backstage of these things can be quite funny at times! The sea wasn’t very flat, so everyone ended up feeling a bit dizzy when we got back on land. But the photos looked good! Surfing with friends

Carlos Sainz's Diary - Wakesurfing in Spain

After Monaco and some engineering work back at MTC, I headed back to Madrid for a promotional activity with my sponsor Shiseido and spent the weekend with my friends at Avila, near Madrid. We took a boat out for some wakesurfing. You use the wave of a boat to surf. I have never surfed in my life, but I really enjoy doing this. When I have time off, it’s important to have time alone with your friends and family to recharge your batteries as life in F1 can get busy! Onwards to Canada We arrived in Canada on Monday, it’s part of our plan to arrive at races earlier to give me more time to get acclimatised, get some quality training done and counter any potential jet lag. It’s an amazing city, so it was great to have some time to walk around – and of course there was time to get a burger in, too. Passenger ride for Rupert

Carlos Sainz's Diary - Canada Hot Lap with trainer Rupert Manwaring