If you follow me on Twitter, you're probably wondering "where are the Carlos Sainz posts?!" Well, fret no more! Day 6 is Chili Day!
When Daniel Ricciardo announced he was leaving Red Bull, I thought my dream was coming true. My favourite driver; Carlos Sainz, driving for my favourite team; Red Bull Racing. A partnership I always wanted. But, alas, it was not meant to be. Instead the Spaniard signed with McLaren for 2019 whereas Red Bull snapped up Frenchman; Pierre Gasly. It was at this point I knew that next year I'd have to take out a vodka subscription.
I first started supporting Carlos in 2012 during his Formula 3 years. He was from a rallying background and preferred single seaters, I was from a rallying background and preferred single seaters. It was from then on I found myself supporting him throughout the years, Formula 3, GP3 and Formula Renault 3.5. You can imagine my excitement when he was finally announced as a Formula One driver for the 2015 season, taking up a permanent residence in the Toro Rosso alongside Dutchman; Max Verstappen.
Sainz's time at Toro Rosso was a good one. The Spaniard was consistent and matched his teammate throughout the years they were partnered together. But when Verstappen was promoted to the main Red Bull team over Sainz, I was disappointed. Not surprised. Just disappointed.
Finally, mid-2017, Sainz got called up to a more established team. This time in the form of Renault. He was partnered with Nico Hulkenberg and just like with his previous teammate, Sainz matched him from the get-go. And this was despite many people stating that the Spaniard was underwhelming in 2018. Something I 100% fail to agree with.
This leads me to now. It's the end of 2018 and Carlos has kissed goodbye to Renault and started his duties with McLaren.
In recent years, McLaren have struggled. It's no lie nor secret. Their time with the Honda engine had been disastrous and things haven't been much better since switching to Renault power.
I worry for Carlos. With a car that under-performs, a less reliable engine and a more than half decent teammate; Lando Norris; Sainz needs to do something special in this upcoming season. When it comes to dropping drivers, McLaren can be just as savage as Red Bull. Just ask old McLaren "stars" Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne. Luckily for Magnussen it's all worked out well. As for Vandoorne? We'll soon see.
As biased as I seem, Sainz should be at Red Bull for 2019 but due to his history with Verstappen, this is impossible. So here we are. McLaren Renault. 2019.
Things may turn out ok. 2019 see's the introductions of new rules and regulations as well as technical regulations. The cars will be very different compared to the ones as of late. Who knows, McLaren could become champions in 2019. Carlos will outshine Norris and Red Bull will regret letting him go. Until then we wait. Testing is soon and we can get an idea then. Stay optimistic kids!
Comentarios