Sainz: "McLaren have hit an all-time low so things can only get better"

Madrid-born Carlos Sainz was interviewed on the 'El Larguero' late-night radio show and looked back over the past season and was optimistic for the future as he makes the switch from Renault to McLaren.

Change in F1 rules "a great opportunity for us all"

"I think they (McLaren) are learning and doing their homework, they’ve hit a particularly low point so there is plenty of room for improvement and I’m looking forward to visiting the factory and talking to the design team. Change is generally brought about for a reason and next season we all start with the clock reset to zero. They’ve acknowledged that a problem exists and are anxious to address it. I'm confident that the development work they will undertake on the car for next season will be good and that adds to my confidence in general matters with the switch. I think that both the car and the team this season disappointed and I hope that they aim higher next year and that this campaign has simply been part of the learning curve. Next year we’ll see a change in the regulations and this is a great opportunity for us all to commence from the same starting point,” affirmed the current Renault driver.

"I'm extremely anxious to take the challenge"

Sainz also offered his view on why he felt McLaren were starting to poorly on the grid: “My car this year wasn’t that bad and I still managed to secure points in the championship with the Renault. The current McLaren is not that bad but is slower by a few fractions of a second than mine and now the rest of the starting grid. Despite us talking about fractions of a second; this makes a huge difference and leads people to believe that it’s a really poor car. It’s bizarre to see Alonso at the rear of the grid but three or four fractions of a second is a lot. There is now doubt in my mind that Fernando Alonso always manages to get the best from the car. But now the opportunity has come my way, I’m extremely anxious to take the challenge”.