Carlos Sainz says he is pleased to be earning the respect of other drivers but will not get carried away following praise from Jenson Button.

Button highlighted Sainz’s maturity when asked about which young driver is impressing him most so far this season. Asked by F1i about praise from Button, Sainz - who had not seen the 2009 world champion’s comments - says it is nice to be recognised by fellow drivers.

“I haven’t heard that from him, I would like to hear it because it is nice words coming from a world champion like Jenson,” Sainz said. “I have a good relationship with him and respect him a lot. I am thankful for those words.”

However, Sainz says he won’t get carried away by the impression he has made after just five races of the season.

“I am trying my best and hopefully I can build up some respect but it is early in the season, there are three quarters of the season to go. I will just keep focused, remain with the same approach that ii have had until now that appears to be working, and that’s it.”

Click here for an exclusive interview with Jenson Button about the McLaren-Honda project

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.

Recent Posts

Team Talk – Sunday afternoon in Shanghai

  Pirelli Dario Marrafuschi – Pirelli Motorsport Director 'Firstly, I would like to congratulate Kimi…

14 hours ago

Russell braced for Ferrari drivers’ collision in Chinese GP

Those who weren't watching Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix with their heart in their, weren't watching…

18 hours ago

Wolff overwhelmed by China podium: ‘One of the best I’ve ever had'

For Kimi Antonelli, victory at the Chinese Grand Prix was the moment a dream became…

19 hours ago

Verstappen tears into F1 after Shanghai DNF: ‘For me, it’s a joke’

The frustration boiling inside Max Verstappen finally spilled over in Shanghai, where another bruising weekend…

20 hours ago

Chinese GP: Sunday's action in pictures

The 2026 Chinese GP will go down in history for Mercedes teenager Kimi Antonelli who…

21 hours ago

Hamilton mentally and physically ‘back to my best’ after China podium

Under the afternoon sun and the roar of the grandstands at the Shanghai International Circuit,…

22 hours ago