Carlos Sainz Jr. says he is unsure how the McLaren F1 Team will fare during the 2020 Formula 1 season, but he hopes his final year with the team will see them continue the positive momentum they had in 2019.
Sainz will leave McLaren at the end of the current campaign to replace Sebastian Vettel at Scuderia Ferrari but he wants to depart on a high, with the aim to build on the fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship they achieved last year.
Sainz also scored his first Formula 1 podium, and McLaren’s first since 2015, in the Brazilian Grand Prix despite starting the race at the back of the grid.
The Spaniard says that he would love to see McLaren back at the front of the field, even when he switches over to Ferrari, with the Woking-based outfit having failed to taste the winners champagne since the Brazilian Grand Prix of 2012.
“I want to keep the momentum up, I really want this team to follow the trend we did last year,” said Sainz to the official Formula 1 website. “How much are we going to improve this year compared to last year, we’re not sure because we haven’t gone racing and we don’t know where we are.
“I want to say goodbye to McLaren in the best possible way. I am going to give my best this year like I gave my best last year, I am going to improve little things from last year to make sure I am a better driver and keep performing at the best of my abilities.
“Next year [when] I’m part of Ferrari, trust me that nothing would make me more happy than seeing McLaren back at the top of a Formula 1 podium. As a Formula 1 fan – as a McLaren fan now – I would love to see McLaren back at the top.”
