Sainz: Summer break was intense

Carlos Sainz Jr. believes that the summer break was "intense" with lots of rumours and official movements between the teams.

The Spaniard is joining McLaren at the end of the season following Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo taking Sainz's place at Renault.

With the Belgian Grand Prix on this weekend, Sainz is looking forward to the "very enjoyable" job.

"Spa is very enjoyable as it has everything: fast corners, long straights, overtaking opportunities, elevation changes and random weather," Sainz told The Checkered Flag.

"I like racing in Spa, it's one of the most special grands prix in formula one, and one all drivers look forward to racing. I enjoy sector two, as it's quite busy and has a nice flow to it.

"It's tough to find that perfect car balance between setting up for the flowing corners, which require high downforce, while bring careful not to take off too much straight line speed, which you need for the Kemmel Straight and before the Bus-Stop Chicane.'

With Sainz taking over his compatriot Fernando Alonso following his retirement from the sport, he said that his time off was "intense" due to all of the speculation and attention.

"It's been an intense summer due to the movements in the driver market," Sainz added.

"However, I spent my summer break with my family and friends and had a good chance to rest and pick up some energy before the second part of the season."