Formula 1: Carlos Sainz Jr. to return to McLaren in 2020
By Asher Fair
Carlos Sainz Jr. is set to return for a second season at McLaren in the 2020 Formula 1 season, which is set to be his sixth season in the sport.
Carlos Sainz Jr. signed a multi-year contract with McLaren last August beginning in the 2019 Formula 1 season days after former McLaren driver and two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso announced that he would be retiring following the conclusion of the 2018 season.
McLaren have now confirmed that the 24-year-old Spaniard will return for his second season with the team in the 2020 season, as expected.
The Woking-based team also confirmed that Sainz Jr.’s current teammate, rookie Lando Norris, will return to the team next year.
McLaren confirmed this news on their Twitter account.
https://twitter.com/McLarenF1/status/1148638521609084928
Here is what McLaren CEO Zak Brown had to say about this confirmation, according to ESPN.
"“I’m delighted we’re able to announce our 2020 driver line-up ahead of the team’s home race at the British Grand Prix this weekend. Both Carlos and Lando are proving themselves as racers and are integral to our path to recovery. They have made a real contribution to the positive momentum and morale within the team, both at the track and back at the factory.”"
Here is what McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl added.
"“Today’s announcement provides the team with the continuity to keep pushing forward. The performance of both Carlos and Lando have been a key part of the team’s progress. Their feedback has enabled our engineers to develop the MCL34 and look ahead to the MCL35. Carlos has played a key role in developing the car using his experience, while Lando has got up to speed with the demands of Formula 1 incredibly quickly and is growing in confidence every weekend. This is welcome news for the whole McLaren team and we look forward to continuing our partnership together.”"
More from Formula One
- Formula 1: Top Red Bull threat identified for 2024
- Formula 1: Why the Max Verstappen retirement obsession?
- Formula 1: Williams ‘mistake’ hints Logan Sargeant’s future
- Formula 1 awaiting key confirmation for 2024 season
- Formula 1: The ‘championship’ Max Verstappen only leads by 3 points
Sainz Jr. is in his fifth season of Formula 1 competition. He drove for Scuderia Toro Rosso in the 2015 season and the 2016 season as well as for much of the 2017 season before he spent the season’s final four races driving for Renault, where he spent the entire 2018 season before making the switch to McLaren.
In 90 career Formula 1 starts, Sainz Jr. has recorded 45 top 10 finishes and two top five finishes, including a career-high fourth place in the 2017 Singapore Grand Prix. He recorded a career-high finish of ninth place in the driver standings in the 2017 season.
Through the first nine races of the 21-race 2019 season, Sainz Jr. sits as the “best of the rest” in the driver standings behind only the six Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Scuderia Ferrari and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing drivers in seventh place. He has recorded five top eight finishes this season, including two season-high sixth place finishes, all within the last six races, and scored 30 points as a result of them.
McLaren, meanwhile, sit in fourth place in the constructor standings as the “best of the rest” team behind Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing, 20 points clear of Renault in fifth (52 to 32).
Next. Top 10 Formula 1 drivers of all-time. dark
After a weekend off following the exciting Austrian Grand Prix that resulted in Carlos Sainz Jr. starting in 19th place and carving his way through the field to finish in eighth, Formula 1 is scheduled to return with the British Grand Prix this Sunday, July 14. ESPN2 is set to broadcast this race live from Silverstone Circuit in England, United Kingdom beginning at 9:10 a.m. ET.