Inevitably, Carlos Sainz will be compared to his fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso this season, as his direct replacement in the McLaren team for 2019.
Alonso retired at the end of last season, leaving a huge hole at McLaren, which Sainz has been drafted in to fill.
The 24-year old already has plenty of experience under his belt in F1, having completed four full seasons already.
He was comfortably outscored by Nico Hulkenberg in 2018 at Renault and will for sure find it a tough ask at McLaren, but says that he will not feel the pressure of his predecessor.
Sainz said: “This year we’re not fighting for any world titles. It’s not the same situation as Fernando maybe back in the day, or anything like this. I’m impatient to win, but I don’t need to win now or never. I’m still 24, I can take it a bit easily.
"Maybe a big amount of pressure in the team because I want to be part of this recovery plan, I want to be part of his restructuring stuff.
“I think what Fernando did, the results he did, and I respect it a lot. But don’t feel the pressure of stepping into his shoes. Fernando is Fernando, and Carlos Sainz is Carlos Sainz.”