Leading McLaren resurgence a 'huge motivation' for Sainz

ยฉMcLaren

Carlos Sainz says his role in leading McLaren's turnaround in F1 has supplied him with a huge dose of motivation.

Sainz joined the Woking-based outfit at the end of last year, replacing countryman Fernando Alonso after the two-time world champion decided to wind down his career in F1.

Alonso's hopes of securing a third world title with McLaren never came to fruition during his four-year stint with the team marked mainly by the British outfit's trials and tribulations with Honda.

Sainz picked up the baton, committing to his team's multi-year plan to return to the front of the grid and determined to personally reap the benefits of McLaren's resurgence.

"It had been a dream to join McLaren, a team that has so much history in Formula 1," wrote the Spaniard in his new personal column published on the official Formula 1 website.

"The team has had a challenging few years but we share the same values of never giving up and fighting to be the best. Itโ€™s in our DNA and to lead this project is a huge motivation.

"Weโ€™ve had a difficult first three races of 2019, but we can take so much encouragement from our raw performance.

"Weโ€™re turning things around already this year, weโ€™re right in the midfield fight and have shown consistently that we have a car that is capable of scoring points. Itโ€™s why I canโ€™t wait to get to Baku."

Sainz's opening race with McLaren was undermined by a Renault engine problem while another retirement awaited the 24-year-old in Bahrain.

The Spaniard set off with the bit between his teeth in Shanghai only to find himself embroiled in a first lap contact with Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat that put him on the back foot at the outset.

"The Shanghai race weekend didnโ€™t quite work out as we hoped," he admitted.

"We knew we could struggle because our car in long corners isnโ€™t as strong as in braking and traction. Friday was encouraging but in qualifying, we missed out on Q3 by a few tenths.

"In the race, you all know what happened. I tried to avoid an accident but there was nothing I could do. Daniil Kvyat just lost his car, pushed me off and he then made contact with Lando.

"It hasnโ€™t been a great first three races, and itโ€™s definitely frustrating when you know you are comfortable with the car.

"But the pace of the car is strong and itโ€™s just a matter of time before we start getting points."

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