Carlos Sainz hopes to retain the friendship and support of Fernando Alonso in the future, believing the guidance from the man he is set to replace at McLaren from 2019 can help him going forward.
Sainz has never denied his admiration for his fellow countryman, the two-time world champion having always represented an emblematic figure since he started his own racing career.
The two men have enjoyed a close relationship since Sainz graduated to F1 in 2015, and the 24-year-old hopes it will remain intact despite Alonso's departure from F1 at the end of the year.
"Probably Fernando and myself are the most open drivers between each other," admits Sainz.
"If we have to tell each other a little secret, we do tell it, because of the trust. I hope next year, it is maybe a bit more, now that he will not be in F1 and we are not on-track rivals any more.
"Hopefully we can keep that relationship and develop it because I think it can only be positive for me.
"I know that I can always pick up the phone and give him the call because every time I have needed him on something, he’s been there for me," he adds.
Sainz isn't privy to Alonso's plans for 2019, but he hopes he remains involved with McLaren in some capacity.
"A figure like Fernando will always give you a bit more confidence, especially as he has been around for so long so he knows what the team needs to do.
"Even if he doesn’t support me - but I’m sure he will - McLaren might also need a figure like him. I don’t know if he will stay or not.
"It’s probably a question to the management more than to me. He’s always an important figure wherever he goes."
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McLaren boss Zak Brown also believes that an ongoing friendship between the two drivers could work to Sainz's advantage.
"It will certainly not hurt," he says. "As he stated, he’s a huge fan of Fernando’s.
"It feels special to him and I think that is what you want from a driver, you want them to feel like they are in a special environment.
"Fernando being around, maybe from his point of view, he feels like he’s replacing Fernando. To him, if that feels special and motivates him, then that is a great thing."
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