Heads you drive forRed Bull Racing, tails
you’re part of the emerging Renault team’s line-
up. Not a bad coin toss for Carlos Sainz for the
2019 Formula 1 season. Butwhat if it lands on its
side? Then the best laid plans of Sainz and men go
awry, which is why the 24-year old currentlyfinds
himself as McLaren’s spearhead.
Sainz is clad in papaya in 2019 thanks to a
combination of the cascade effect onthe driver
market caused by Daniel Ricciardo’s defection to
Renault and Red Bull’s reluctance to recall the
Spaniard given the way he agitated for a loan move
away. McLaren was the right move on the basis of
‘any port in a storm’, and the first time heface d
the massed ranks of the F1 media at Spa last year
after the deal was done, hewasn’ t convincing.
“It’s one of the dreams I had as a kid, and to
be joining McLaren in the future, it’s impossible
to be unhappy,” he said. But we weren’t sure he
was sure. After all, McLaren was in a downward
spiral and it was hardly the first-choice move it
would have seemed in Sainz’s formative years.
If McLaren failed to pull out of that nosedive and
came up with another dog this year, it might haveINSIDER
HAS SAINZ
DODGED A RED
BULL-ET?
killed Sainz’s F1 career stone-dead. But there was alwaysthe h ope of
a rapid turnaround, and McLaren has been a regular contender for
midfield ‘victories’ – particularly since itgot on top ofthe upgrade
introduced at May’s Spanish Grand Prix that has improved the
stability of the rear end. The team’s capacity tobe best-of-the-rest is
still partly track dependent, and McLaren admits there’s work to be
done on the car in low-speed corners, but realistically the first half of
2019 has gone as well as could be hoped for Sainz.
Evidence so far suggests McLaren is not hitting the developmental
brick walls of lastyear, meaning that car performance is augmenting
the trackside operational strength that meant it was still able topick
up occasional good results last year.
Sainz admitted he was“relieved”byMcLaren being soeffective
after finishing sixth inFrance, although he was genuinely impressed
from thestart by what he sawat Wo king. He’s playedhis part, moving
close to the factory andspendingplenty of time there in the hope of
laying the foundations to bea fixture with
the re-emergingteam beyondhis two-year
contract. While Lando Norris has performed
strongly, Sainz isthe senior partner and has
the chance to make McLaren ‘his’team.
Sainz is mak ing the mo st of it, but would
he have beenbetter off at Red Bull? Perhaps,
given it’s a winning team, but he might,
perversely,have actu ally dodged a bullet.
Yes, Red Bull isthe thir d strongest teaminF 1
and ona tr ajectory that could makeit a title
contender with Hondapropulsion as early
as next year. Yes, Sainzwould certainly have
performed far bett er than Pierre Gasly. But
since Ricciardo left, Red Bull has become
Verstappen’s kingdom, he ha s co ntrol – some
of it enshrined in his contract– and Sainz
could onlyhave been a support act.Desp ite
some troubles during theirtime together at
Toro Rossoin 2015-16, the pair get on well,
but Ve rstapp en is the centre of that world now.
Sainz can do a similar thing at McLaren,
not by making himself contracted team leader
but by making himself indispensable. He
is undisputedly the senior partner, and his
performances combined with his all-round
contribution should ensure McLaren regards
him an integral part of its rebuilding process.
Sainz is driving well thisyear. Last season
was a tricky one as he struggledwith rear-end
instability at Renault. While bad luck cost
him several top results, notably in France and
Mexicowhere technical problemsprevented
him winning the midfield battle, he wasn’t as
convincing as Nico Hülkenberg. Factoring in
Sainz’s experience and setting expectations
accordingly, it was his least impressive season PICTURES:STEVEN TEE;DOMROMNEY.ILLUSTRATION:BENJAMINWACHENJE.AfterRicciardomovedto
Renault,theonlyrealistic
optionforSainz for2019
wastomoveto McLarenEDDSTRAW
THE F1
ANALYST
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