Replacing one Spaniard with another, McLaren boss Zak Brown believes that Carlos Sainz will be the perfect replacement for the retiring Fernando Alonso.
Still only 23, Sainz is in his fourth season of F1, being a regular points scorer since his debut in 2015, with his best finish being fourth at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix, in one of his final races for Toro Rosso.
Sainz made the switch to Renault for 2018, where he has been a regular in the points, scoring 30, 14 less than the man he is going to replace.
Alonso’s boots are definitely big ones to fill, the consistency and effort he has put into McLaren during the last four years has been nothing short of exceptional, consistently dragging a poor car into the points positions.
Despite this legacy the two-time champion will leave, Brown believes Sainz is the perfect replacement.
He said: “Carlos brings with him the perfect blend of youth and experience.
“Although he’s just 23, he’ll be starting his fifth season in the sport with us and will bring with him a huge amount of racing experience, both in Formula 1 and with our partner Renault.”
McLaren are using Renault engines this season, after three torrid years partnered with Honda.
“We’re incredibly excited to have Carlos join us as a McLaren driver. We’ve been assessing him for some time now and rate him very highly among the next generation of young talent emerging through the ranks in Formula 1.”