Sainz Sr. confident about son: "McLaren have new philosophy"

Two-time rallying world champion Carlos Sainz Sr. thinks his son will excel at his new team McLaren, as the 56-year-old explains the Woking-based team have adopted a new philosophy heading into the 2019 season.

Sainz senior has returned to his home in Spain after competing in the Dakar where he failed to defend his title, as he had a five-hour deficit to leader Nasser Al Attiyah after the third stage, where Sainz was stuck for several hours. At the end, he was trailing by almost ten hours, but in typical Sainz fashion, he didn't give up and won the final stage in his Mini.

Speaking on his son's switch of Formula 1 teams, the veteran was confident he would do well.

"At Woking, they are working on a car with a new philosophy and I expect spectacular races if Carlos will find the right feeling with the vehicle," he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"He can also count on the support of Fernando Alonso, he speaks regularly with him and will come to some races."

Sainz Jr. switches from Renault and penned his first-ever multiple year deal in F1 at McLaren.