Sainz reveals his "fun" relationship with Verstappen

Carlos Sainz Jr has revealed his former team-mate Max Verstappen has lifted the Spanish driver to a "higher level".

Sainz and Verstappen were team-mates at Toro Rosso back in 2014; and the relationship seemed to be rather hostile between the pair, at times.

However, Sainz has revealed that those rumours are "not true".

"Everyone thinks we hated each other, but that certainly is not true," Sainz told Formule1. "Fans always asked about our relationship, even my own friends asked about it.

"We had a lot of fun next to the job and we went much better together than people think. We were incredibly competitive on the track because we knew we were competing for our careers."

Sainz believes that his former team-mate, who has made the headlines for the wrong reasons recently, is one of the "most talented" drivers around.

"For me, there is no doubt that he is one of the most talented drivers," Sainz claimed. "He lifted me to a higher level (at Toro Rosso) and he made me a better driver."

Sainz is making the switch from Renault to McLaren next season; with the Spaniard replacing his compatriot Fernando Alonso.