Sainz has mixed feelings about catching up with the top teams: "It's cool but..."

During the 2019 F1 season, McLaren have made significant progress not only in the Formula 1 world championship as they've closed down on the likes of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, Ferrari and Mercedes. They're looking secure in fourth place as the attention turns to backing it up in 2020.

Carlos Sainz, who has had a sublime season and at times has managed to race with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. The McLaren car has looked impressive off the start line. But there's clearly still work to do before they can challenge for podiums and that's why Sainz has mixed feelings.

"So you get both joy and disappointment from catching up with a Mercedes. You are very happy that you can catch up with them, but at the same time it is frustrating that you cannot keep them behind you for long," Sainz told Spanish AS.

McLaren are 38 points ahead of their rivals Renault with just two races remaining.