Carlos Sainz is setting multiple targets for next season, aiming to move Toro Rosso up the ranks and setting his sights on securing a drive with a top team in 2018.
The Spaniard was put on everyone's short list recently as a potential replacement for Nico Rosberg at Mercedes, but it has been more a case of wishful thinking than a realistic possibility given Red Bull and Sainz' commitment to each other.
Sainz is now looking forward to 2017 however and the opportunity to race a designed-from-scratch Toro Rosso, once again powered by Renault, and which he hopes to bring into the points as often as possible.
"The team has been developing the car since 2015 so I'm confident they're doing a good job enough," Sainz told Autosport.
"But when there's a new regulation, sometimes you depend a bit on luck to know if the philosophy of the team has got it right.
"If we have a strong chassis as we had the last two years, then with the power unit of Renault we should be looking to be in the place Force India and Williams have been this year.
"I really target to be in the top five or six in the constructors' championship, knowing McLaren will be stronger and there will be five manufacturer teams.
"It will mean beating established manufacturer teams so it will not be easy, but I trust in our team because they've produced a chassis lately that is in the top five."
But Sainz' is also targeting his personal development and the ultimate goal of securing a top notch drive for 2018, a coveted seat which he hopes will be supplied by Red Bull obviously.
"I'll try to have a year as good or better than in 2016, which won't be easy. And from there, I'll try to open as many doors as possible to be in a top team.
"I hope that team is Red Bull, which would make me the most excited and it's what I would like most after three years at Toro Rosso, and if not, I'll try to open as many door as possible for 2018."
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