F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Sainz 'can't complain' about Red Bull ruthlessness

Carlos Sainz says he "can't complain too much" about how ruthless Red Bull is with young drivers having been guided to F1 by its program.

Red Bull brings junior drivers through to F1 via Toro Rosso, with no driver getting more than three seasons before either being promoted to Red Bull or dropped. Sainz has seen former team-mate Max Verstappen promoted to Red Bull after four races this season, with Daniil Kvyat returning to Toro Rosso following some poor performances.

"I think it has its pros and cons," Sainz told F1i when asked if the ruthlessness gives him hope for a future promotion or means he is never comfortable. "But normally I would say it’s a pro because it’s what has brought me here and it is how the program has worked in the last ten years.

"It’s the most successful junior program ever, so I can only see the positive side of it because they bring so many young talents through and it normally has worked. I can’t complain too much about their philosophy."

Sainz has excelled at Toro Rosso since the driver change, and while he believes he built up some good momentum he says his confidence did not take a hit when Verstappen was promoted.

"Strong results always help to build up your confidence, for sure, but I was confident because if not then I wouldn’t have done the result in Barcelona like I did. I’ve always been confident but it’s true that some consecutive good results help even more."

Red Bull has already activated its option to retain Sainz for the 2017 season, with the Spaniard again set to drive for Toro Rosso next year.

Meet the British drivers chasing GP2 glory and an F1 seat

From Sauber to Ferrari - Exclusive interview with Kimi Raikkonen on F1's evolution

Silbermann says ... No hope for an Olympic Grand Prix

FEATURE: Romain Grosjean answers your questions

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

Bearman gives harsh verdict on his stand-in outing

Oliver Bearman got quite the early morning wake-up call on Friday in Sao Paulo when…

18 mins ago

Red Bull still 'looking at the facts' regarding Perez's performance

While his team mate Max Verstappen thrilled the fans with a run from 17th on…

1 hour ago

Sad Colapinto laments two crashes in one day in Sao Paulo

Williams suffered a bruising time on Sunday in Sao Paulo, with Alex Albon unable to…

3 hours ago

McLaren: No regrets over timing of Norris pit stop in Sao Paulo GP

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has insisted that the squad has no regrets about their…

4 hours ago

Williams' Boutsen hoists the mainsail in Adelaide

On this day in 1989, Williams' Thierry Boutsen secured his second F1 win when he…

5 hours ago

Horner: Max 'answered critics' with epic Sao Paulo GP drive

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hailed Max Verstappen’s sensational Sao Paulo Grand Prix victory…

6 hours ago